Oct 20 2021

Associate Professor FUJIHARA Kazuya and Professor SONE Hirohito in Department of Hematology, Endocrinology and Metabolism, Niigata University Faculty of Medicine reported that the frequency of carrot consumption is implicated in reducing body mass index (BMI) by the intermediary of a specific SNP¹. This novel genetic association may provide new clues to clarify the association between vegetable intake and BMI or obesity.

Research Results

• This is the first report of a comprehensive search for SNPs which associate with the interaction between vegetable intake and BMI or obesity using a genome-wide association study (GWAS)² of the Japanese population.
• Interactions between frequency of carrot intake and the rs4445711, which was to an intron of the thioredoxin reductase 1 (TXNRD1) gene, on human chromosome 12, variant on BMI and obesity was observed.
• The G allele of rs4445711 was associated with lower BMI or obesity in individuals with higher frequency of intake carrot.

[NOTE]

1) Single Nucleotide Polymorphism (SNP):
A variation at a single position in a DNA sequence among individuals.
2) Genome-Wide Association Study (GWAS):
A way for scientists to identify inherited genetic variants associated with risk of disease or a particular trait.

Publication Details

Journal: Nutrients
Title: Carrot consumption frequency associates with reduced BMI and obesity by the SNP intermediary rs4445711
Authors: Kazuya Fujihara, Shun Nogawa, Kenji Saito, Chika Horikawa, Yasunaga Takeda, Kaori Cho, Hajime Ishiguro, Satoru Kodama, Yoshimi Nakagawa, Takashi Matsuzaka, Hitoshi Shimano, Hirohito Sone
DOI: 10.3390/nu13103478