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Lo stato di salute parodontale nella popolazione del Parco Genetico del Friuli Venezia Giulia
No full textLa malattia parodontale è una patologia infiammatoria cronica dei tessuti di sostegno degli elementi dentari. Colpisce circa il 60% della popolazione italiana. Tra questi, il 10% presenta una malattia parodontale aggressiva che se non tempestivamente diagnosticata e trattata determina un’edentulia precoce.
Questa patologia ha un’origine multifattoriale. La causa principale è da ricercare in alcune specie batteriche che in associazione a stili di vita a rischio come, fumo, diabete e stress, o ad una predisposizione genetica, possono influenzare l’insorgenza ed il decorso della patologia.
Una condizione di salute dei tessuti parodontali (Fig. 1) può essere alterata da uno stato infiammatorio iniziale delle gengive (Fig. 2). Se non trattato il quadro clinico può peggiorare con il riassorbimento progressivo dell’osso fino alla conseguente perdita dell’elemento dentario (Fig. 3)
Genetics of Taste and Food Preferences in Communities Along the Silk Road
No full textFood preferences are the main factor driving food intake and choice and there are good reasons to suspect some genetic influence on food acceptance. Although taste has been widely studied in regards of pure tastes such as bitter or sweet perception, the relationship between taste related genes and food preferences has seldom been explored.
In this work we investigated relationship of 37 taste-related genes with food preferences in communities coming from 5 different countries along the Silk Road.
More than 400 subjects completed a food preference questionnaire comprised of common foods specific to each culture. Subjects rated their liking of each item on a 5-point scale ranging from “like extremely” to “dislike extremely”. Liking rating was used as a quantitative variable in the statistical analyses. DNA sample was also obtained and other information, such as age, sex, life style and anthropometrical measures, were collected.
Statistically significant associations were detected between variants of candidate genes and liking ratings for specific foods. Interestingly, liking of vodka (p=1.6x10-3) and white wine (p=4.0x10-4) was associated with the sweet receptor T1R2, supporting the idea that sweet taste contributes to variation in liking for alcohol. Liking of tea was associated with the PCLB2 gene (p=8.0x10-4) which is expressed in type II taste buds cells and in olfactory epithelium, and is involved in the response to caffeine.
Preferences for both lamb meat (p=5.8x10-4) and sheep cheese (p=8.9x10-4) were associated with ITPR3 gene, expressed in the taste and olfactory systems. Finally, liking for beet was associated with TRPV1 (p=3.8x10-5) which has been implicated in oral irritation from isothiocynates.
These findings give a new insight on a better understanding of genetic factors influencing food preferences which is critical to the development of effective dietary interventions, especially for people that may be genetically not predisposed for liking specific nutrients
A “population-based approach” to study the link between TAS2R genes, taste perception and food liking.
No full textVariations at the TAS2R38 gene account for the major portion of differences in PROP (6-n-propylthiouracil) taste perception, which have been shown to influence food preferences and dietary behaviour. We examined the link between PROP taste responses, food preferences and TAS2R genes in six different populations of the Caucasus and Central Asia, located along the Silk Road. We reported, for the first time, genotypic frequencies of the TAS2R38 gene and PROP phenotype distribution in these populations. We found a strong relationship between PROP tasting and food preferences (r=0.67, p-value=0.009) using a “population-based approach”, in which we exploit phenotypic differences between populations comparing a distance matrix based on PROP taste responses and a matrix based on food preferences. No evidence of correlation was found between the distance matrix of food preference and the matrix of genetic distance based on TAS2R38 or the matrix based on the whole genome. Preliminary results of candidate gene analysis allowed us to identify others TAS2R genes that could cooperate with TAS2R38 in the modulation of PROP perception and as consequence food liking.
Besides increasing the knowledge of worldwide TAS2R38 prevalences and bitter taste, our results show that differences in food preferences among populations correlate with PROP status but not with the TAS2R38 gene, suggesting that PROP status is probably a marker for general taste sensitivity and as such is a major driver of food preferences. In addition, our work represent a starting point to study the involvement of multiple genes in bitter perception and food liking
The Role Of Personality Traits On Taste Perception and Food Preferences.
No full textThe relationship between individual differences in taste perception and personality dimensions has not been thoroughly examined. The genetically determined sensitivity to certain bitter tastes, such as PROP and PTC, is one of the most studied individual differences in humans. It is in part explained from genotypic variation of TAS2R38 gene, but others factors including personal characteristics could be involved. Our study aimed to analyse the possible relationship between personality traits, PROP bitterness and food preferences. We report data obtained from a total of ~700 healthy individuals (aged 18-76) coming from 6 different small villages in the Friuli Venezia Giulia region in northern Italy. PROP taste phenotype was determined using a method previously described (Zhao et al, 2003). Individuals completed also a food preferences questionnaire on different foods, rating their liking of each item on a 9-point scale ranging from “like extremely” to “dislike extremely”. Standardized questionnaires were administered to characterize subjects on selected personality traits (Temperament and Character Inventory – TCI) and alexithymia (Toronto Alexithymia Scale – TAS-20), a personality construct characterized by an impaired ability to identify, differentiate and describe feelings and to distinguish between feelings and bodily sensations of emotional arousal.
Regression analysis detected an association between PROP intensity and alexithymia (TAS Total score), such that high alexithymic individuals showed a reduced PROP responsiveness (p-value=0.0147). Furthermore, these same subjects exhibited a statistically significant lower preference for specific foods, including broccoli, red radish, artichokes, black olives, fava beans. Our results suggest that bitter taste perception and food preferences could be modulated by difficulty in distinguishing and describing feelings and emotional responses to stimuli that characterized the alexithymic personality.
This study can also provide insight to a clearer understanding of the motivations of consumers and their effects to choice diets
Polymorphisms in sweet taste genes (TAS1R2 and GLUT2), sweet liking, and dental caries prevalence in an adult Italian population
No full textThe aim of the study was to assess the relationship between sweet taste genes and dental caries prevalence in a large sample of adults. In addition, the association between sweet liking and sugar intake with dental caries was also investigated.
Caries were measured by the DMFT (Decayed, Missing, Filled Teeth) index in 647 Caucasian subjects, 285 males and 362 females (age range 18 to 65 years; mean age 44.9 ± 12.4 years)
subjects coming from six different villages in Northeastern Italy. Sweet liking was assessed using a 9-point scale, while simple sugar consumption was estimated by a dietary history interview.
Our study confirmed that polymorphisms in TAS1R2 and GLUT2 genes are related with DMFT index. In particular, GG homozygous individuals for rs3935570 in TAS1R2 gene (p-value=0.0117) and GG homozygous individuals for rs1499821 in GLUT2 gene (p-value=0.0273) show higher DMFT levels compared to both heterozygous and homozygous for the alternative allele.
Furthermore, a positive significant correlation between sweet liking and dental caries was found (p-value=0.009), while no association was shown with gender, sex and sugar intake.
Although caries is a multifactorial disease in which diet, oral hygiene and microflora are key-factors, these findings suggest that both genetic factors and sweet liking contribute to dental caries prevalence, opening new perspectives for individual risk identification and implementation of target preventive strategies
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