Saturated Fat and Weight
Genetic factors help explain why some people weigh more than others when their diets are high in saturated fat.
Laila, your weight is likely to be similar on diets high or low in saturated fat with the same number of total calories.
People with your genetic result tend to have a similar BMI on diets with greater or less than 22 grams of saturated fat per day, as long as they consume the same number of total calories.
However, diets high in saturated fat have been associated with increased LDL (“bad”) cholesterol, which is a risk factor for heart disease.
What you can do
Limit your saturated fat intake. It may not have a large effect on your weight, but it’s important for reducing your risk of heart disease.
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Keep in mind
This test does not diagnose any health conditions or provide medical advice. Consult with a healthcare professional before making any major lifestyle changes or if you have any other concerns about your results.
The effect of dietary saturated fat on BMI is associated with a variant near the APOA2 gene.
The APOA2 gene contains instructions for making a protein called apolipoprotein A-II, which is found in high-density lipoprotein (HDL) cholesterol particles. The role of apolipoprotein A-II in the body's response to saturated fat is not yet well understood.
You have one variant included in this report.
rs5082
A
G
See all information
rs5082
A
G
-
Biological explanation
The variant tested is a change from an A to a G in the DNA sequence near the APOA2 gene. Having two copies of the G version is associated with higher BMI in the context of a high saturated fat diet. Many sources refer to this variant as a change from a T to a C, using the opposite DNA strand.
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Typical vs. variant DNA sequence(s)
A
Typical SequenceSubstitutionG
Variant Sequence -
Percent of 23andMe customers with variant
Variant: G
European 62.61%African American 43.88%East Asian 15.48%Hispanic or Latino 52.72%South Asian 42.11% -
References [ 1, 2 ]
Biological explanation
*This test cannot distinguish which copy you received from which parent. This test also cannot determine whether multiple variants, if detected, were inherited from only one parent or from both parents. This may impact how these variants are passed down.
23andMe always reports genotypes based on the 'positive' strand of the human genome reference sequence (build 37). Other sources sometimes report genotypes using the opposite strand.
References
- Corella D et al. (2009). “APOA2, dietary fat, and body mass index: replication of a gene-diet interaction in 3 independent populations.” Arch Intern Med. 169(20):1897-906.
- Corella D et al. (2011). “Association between the APOA2 promoter polymorphism and body weight in Mediterranean and Asian populations: replication of a gene-saturated fat interaction.” Int J Obes (Lond). 35(5):666-75.
- Eckel, RH et al. (2014). “2013 AHA/ACC guideline on lifestyle management to reduce cardiovascular risk: a report of the American College of Cardiology/American Heart Association Task Force on Practice Guidelines.” J Am Coll Cardiol. 63(25 Pt B):2960-84.
- Hooper L et al. (2015). “Reduction in saturated fat intake for cardiovascular disease.” Cochrane Database Syst Rev. 6:CD011737.
- U.S. Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service. “USDA Food Composition Database.
- U.S. Department of Health and Human Services and U.S. Department of Agriculture. “2015-2020 Dietary Guidelines for Americans.” 8th Edition. December 2015.
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