Sex Differences in the Effects of Inherited Bitter Thiourea Sensitivity on Body Weight in 4–6‐Year‐Old Children

Previous studies have shown that inherited taste blindness to bitter compounds like 6‐n‐propylthiouracil (PROP) may be a risk factor for obesity, but this literature has been highly controversial. The objectives of this study were (i) to confirm findings that show an interaction between PROP status and sex on BMI z‐score, and (ii) to determine if sex also interacts with variations in TAS2R38 (phenylthiocarbamide (PTC) genotype) to influence weight status in 4–6 year olds. Also, we tested whether nontaster children consumed more fat and total energy at laboratory‐based meals. Seventy‐two ethnically diverse children who ranged in weight status were classified as tasters (N = 52) or nontasters (N = 20) using a standard PROP screening solution. Anthropometric measures were taken, and at the end of each visit, children ate ad libitum from test meals intended for exploratory purposes. Genomic DNA was extracted from saliva and alleles at TAS2R38 were genotyped for A49P polymorphisms. In 75.8% of children, PTC genotype predicted PROP phenotype, whereas in 24.4%, genotype did not predict phenotype. PROP nontaster males had higher BMI z‐scores than taster‐males and females in both groups (P < 0.05), but due to a three‐way interaction between PROP phenotype, TAS2R38 genotype, and sex, this relationship was only true for children who were homozygous for the bitter‐insensitive allele (P < 0.0005). There were no differences in test‐meal intake as a function of PROP phenotype or TAS2R38 genotype. These results suggest that the TAS2R38 variation, PROP phenotype, and sex interact to impact obesity risk in children. Future studies should be done to determine how this trait influences energy balance.     

PROP taster status interacts with the built environment to influence children's food acceptance and body weight status

Objectives:

Eating behaviors and obesity are complex phenotypes influenced by genes and the environment, but few studies have investigated the interaction of these two variables. The purpose of this study was to use a gene‐environment interaction model to test for differences in children's food acceptance and body weights.

Design and Methods:

Inherited ability to taste 6‐n‐propylthiouracil (PROP) was assessed as a marker of oral taste responsiveness. Food environment was classified as “healthy” or “unhealthy” based on proximity to outlets that sell fruits/vegetables and fast foods using Geographic Information Systems (GIS). The cohort consisted of 120 children, ages 4‐6 years, recruited from New York City over 2005‐2010. Home address and other demographic variables were reported by parents and PROP status, food acceptance, and anthropometrics were assessed in the laboratory. Based on a screening test, children were classified as PROP tasters or non‐tasters. Hierarchical linear models analysis of variance was performed to examine differences in food acceptance and body mass index (BMI) z‐scores as a function of PROP status, the food environment (“healthy” vs. “unhealthy”), and their interaction.

Results and Conclusion:

Results showed an interaction between taster status and the food environment on BMI z‐score and food acceptance. Non‐taster children living in healthy food environments had greater acceptance of vegetables than taster children living in healthy food environments (P ≤ 0.005). Moreover, non‐tasters from unhealthy food environments had higher BMI z‐scores than all other groups (P ≤ 0.005). Incorporating genetic markers of taste into studies that assess the built environment may improve the ability of these measures to predict risk for obesity and eating behaviors. Obesity (2012)     

Inherited Taste Sensitivity to 6‐n‐Propylthiouracil in Diet and Body Weight in Children

Objective: Negative associations between the inherited ability to taste the bitter compound 6‐n‐propylthiouracil (PROP) and preference for fat and body weight have been observed in adults. This study tested the relationships among the ability to taste PROP, reported food intake, and body weight in young children. Research Methods and Procedures: Fifty‐three 4‐ to 5‐year‐old children were classified as tasters (N = 35) or nontasters (N = 18) of PROP using a standard screening solution. Anthropometric measures were taken in the laboratory. Mothers completed questionnaires to assess their child's food intake and their own dieting behaviors. Results: Nontaster boys had higher weight‐for‐height percentiles than taster boys (77th vs. 56th percentile, respectively), but the relationship was opposite for girls (p ≤ 0.05). Nontasters reportedly consumed a higher percentage of their daily energy from protein (p ≤ 0.01), mainly as high‐fat meat products. Tasters reportedly consumed a higher percentage of their daily energy from sugars (p ≤ 0.05), mainly in the form of brownies, doughnuts, cookies, soft drinks, and juice drinks. There were no differences between tasters and nontasters for reported intake of grains, fruits, vegetables, dairy products, or discretionary fats. Discussion: This study is the first, to our knowledge, to report weight differences in children as a function of their PROP status. Genetic taste factors seem to play a role in the development of dietary patterns and weight differences in young children, but the nature of these relationships may vary with gender.     

Genetic sensitivity to bitter taste of 6-n Propylthiouracil: A useful diagnostic aid to detect early childhood caries in pre-school children

PURPOSE:

Genetic factor to bitter taste perception appears to be largely mediated by the TAS2R38 gene. The insensitivity to bitter compounds like 6-n-propylthiouracil (PROP) is mediated by this gene. PROP, a pharmacological drug used in treatment of Graves’ disease, proved to be useful tool in determining the genetic sensitivity levels to bitter and sweet taste. The purpose of this study is to show much simpler PROP sensitivity technique for the clinical examiner and its application as a diagnostic aid in Early Childhood Caries (ECC) detection among preschool children.

MATERIALS AND METHODS:

A total of 119 children belonging to the age group of 36 to 71 months of both sexes, were recruited from A. J. Institute of Dental Sciences, Mangalore (Karnataka). PROP sensitivity test was carried out to determine the inherent genetic ability to taste a bitter or sweet substance. This study used simpler scaling method to find out genetic sensitivity to bitter taste; one who tasted bitter as taster and one who was not able to differentiate/tasted like paper as non-taster. A questionnaire was provided to evaluate their dietary habits and caries experience was recorded. Collected data were tabulated and subjected to statistical analysis.

RESULTS:

In the total of 119 children the mean dmfs was definitely higher in non-taster children compared to tasters. The tasters had a mean dmfs value of 9.5120 (S.D. 7.0543) and non-tasters had a value of 7.7250 (S.D. 8.33147), which was statistically significant. The results suggested that there was increase in caries experience among the group of non-tasters as compared to tasters. Tasters tended to be sweet dislikers and non-tasters tended to be sweet likers. On the whole, tasters had a bad dentition as compared to non tasters.

CONCLUSION:

The PROP sensitivity test (filter paper test) proved to be a useful diagnostic tool in determining the genetic sensitivity levels of bitter taste. The knowledge of a child''s taste perception can help us in identifying the children who are at higher risk for ECC.     

Maternal short stature does not predict their children's fatness indicators in a nutritional dual‐burden sample of urban Mexican Maya

The co‐existence of very short stature due to poor chronic environment in early life and obesity is becoming a public health concern in rapidly transitioning populations with high levels of poverty. Individuals who have very short stature seem to be at an increased risk of obesity in times of relative caloric abundance. Increasing evidence shows that an individual is influenced by exposures in previous generations. This study assesses whether maternal poor early life environment predicts her child's adiposity using cross sectional design on Maya schoolchildren aged 7–9 and their mothers (n = 57 pairs). We compared maternal chronic early life environment (stature) with her child's adiposity (body mass index [BMI] z‐score, waist circumference z‐score, and percentage body fat) using multiple linear regression, controlling for the child's own environmental exposures (household sanitation and maternal parity). The research was performed in the south of Merida, Yucatan, Mexico, a low socioeconomic urban area in an upper middle income country. The Maya mothers were very short, with a mean stature of 147 cm. The children had fairly high adiposity levels, with BMI and waist circumference z‐scores above the reference median. Maternal stature did not significantly predict any child adiposity indicator. There does not appear to be an intergenerational component of maternal early life chronic under‐nutrition on her child's obesity risk within this free living population living in poverty. These results suggest that the co‐existence of very short stature and obesity appears to be primarily due to exposures and experiences within a generation rather than across generations. Am J Phys Anthropol 153:627–634, 2014. © 2013 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.     

Variation in the bitter-taste receptor gene TAS2R38, and adiposity in a genetically isolated population in Southern Italy

Objective: Variation in the bitter‐taste receptor gene, TAS2R38 confers the ability to taste 6‐n‐propylthiouracil (PROP). The objective of this study was to relate TAS2R38 haplotypes and PROP‐tasting phenotypes to adiposity in a genetically isolated population. We hypothesized that the nontaster phenotype would be associated with higher BMI and waist circumference (WC) in females, and that dietary restraint would mediate this relationship. Methods and Procedures: Participants were 540 healthy inhabitants of the genetically isolated village of Carlantino in southern Italy who were 15–89 years of age at the time of the study. Haplotype analyses were performed and PROP tasting was assessed using a filter paper method. Height, weight, and WC were measured and restrained eating was assessed using a brief questionnaire. Results: Nontaster females had higher BMI and WC than females who were phenotypic tasters, and this relationship was specific to females with low dietary restraint. Regression analysis showed that BMI declined by 1.7 units across taster groups in females when the model included the PROP by restraint interaction. PROP phenotype was not significantly associated with WC in the regression models. Polymorphisms in TAS2R38 were not associated with BMI or WC in females. Neither TAS2R38 haplotype nor PROP phenotype was strongly related to BMI or WC in males. Discussion: These data support previous findings of a relation between the nontaster phenotype and higher BMI in females that is modified by dietary restraint. Assessment of PROP phenotypes might provide unique information about adiposity that is not captured by haplotype analysis alone.     

RELATIONSHIP OF PROP (6-N-PROPYLTHIOURACIL) TASTER STATUS WITH THE BODY MASS INDEX AND FOOD PREFERENCES OF FILIPINO ADULTS

The study determined the 6-n-propylthiouracil (PROP) status of Filipino adults and how it relates to their body mass indices (BMI) and food preferences. Self-reported food preference checklists were administered to 100 male and female adults aged 18–60, classified according to BMI. Increasing concentrations of PROP and NaCl solutions were rated in labeled magnitude scale to establish the PROP taster status of the selected respondents. The Filipino adult respondents were composed of 12% nontasters, 45% medium tasters and 43% supertasters. No association ( P >  0.05) between BMI and PROP taster status was found. Sweet-tasting foods were the most preferred and bitter-tasting foods were the least preferred within each taster status. Furthermore, medium tasters and supertasters had the highest acceptance for meats, fish and poultry, and least acceptance for beverages, which were mostly bitter. Decreased preferences for fats and oils, sugars and confectionery, and beverages were correlated ( P <  0.05) with responsiveness to PROP.

PRACTICAL APPLICATIONS

The research provides a general baseline data of the PROP taster status of Filipino adults. The findings from this study can be used as a reference and can be compared to similar studies conducted in other countries. Likewise, the information from the study can add to the scarce data for taste genetics specifically for the Asian population. The relationship of PROP taster status with body mass index and food preferences can be a guide in the design of products and dietary plans. Likewise, the study would be a means to understand why people vary in liking for particular food items and how these can be reflected in their food consumption and nutritional status.     

Maternal feeding strategies, child eating behaviors, and child BMI in low-income African-American preschoolers

Objective: To test the hypothesis that low‐income African‐American preschool children would have a higher BMI if their mothers reported greater “restriction” and “control” in feeding and if mothers reported that children showed greater “food responsiveness” and “desire to drink.” In addition, to test whether higher maternal “pressure to eat” would be associated with lower child BMI. Research Methods and Procedures: A questionnaire was completed by 296 low‐income African‐American mothers of preschool children. It assessed three constructs on maternal feeding strategies (“restriction,” “pressure to eat,” and “control”) and two on child eating behaviors (“food responsiveness” and “desire to drink”). Children's BMI was measured, and mothers’ BMI was self‐reported. Results: The mean (standard deviation) BMI z‐score of the children was 0.34 (1.5), and 44% of the mothers were obese (BMI ≥30 kg/m²). Only maternal “pressure to eat” had a significant overall association with child BMI z‐score (r = ?0.16, p < 0.01). Both maternal “restriction” and “control” were positively associated with children's BMI z‐score in the case of obese mothers (r = 0.20, p = 0.03 and r = 0.24, p = 0.007, respectively), but this was not so in the case of non‐obese mothers (r = ?0.16, p = 0.05 and r = ?0.07, p = 0.39, respectively). Discussion: Among low‐income African Americans, the positive association between maternal restriction and control in feeding and their preschoolers’ BMI was limited to obese mothers. Relations between parent feeding strategies and child weight status in this population may differ on the basis of maternal weight status.     

Beverage consumption patterns of children born at different risk of obesity

Background: Increased intake of sugar‐sweetened beverages and fruit juice has been associated with overweight in children. Objective: This study prospectively assessed beverage consumption patterns and their relationship with weight status in a cohort of children born at different risk for obesity. Methods and Procedures: Participants were children born at low risk (n = 27) or high risk (n = 22) for obesity based on maternal prepregnancy BMI (kg/m²). Daily beverage consumption was generated from 3‐day food records from children aged 3–6 years and coded into seven beverage categories (milk, fruit juice, fruit drinks, caloric and noncaloric soda, soft drinks including and excluding fruit juice). Child anthropometric measures were assessed yearly. Results: High‐risk children consumed a greater percentage of daily calories from beverages at age 3, more fruit juice at ages 3 and 4, more soft drinks (including fruit juice) at ages 3–5, and more soda at age 6 compared to low‐risk children. Longitudinal analyses showed that a greater 3‐year increase in soda intake was associated with an increased change in waist circumference, whereas a greater increase in milk intake was associated with a reduced change in waist circumference. There was no significant association between change in intake from any of the beverage categories and change in BMI z‐score across analyses. Discussion: Children's familial predisposition to obesity may differentially affect their beverage consumption patterns. Future research should examine the extent to which dietary factors may play a role in pediatric body fat deposition over time.     

PROP (6-n-Propylthiouracil) tasting and sensory responses to caffeine,sucrose, neohesperidin dihydrochalcone and chocolate

The genetically determined ability to taste 6-n-propylthiouracil (PROP) has been linked with lowered acceptance of some bitter foods. Fifty-four women, aged 18-30 years, tasted and rated PROP-impregnated filter paper and seven solutions of PROP. Summed bitterness intensity ratings for PROP solutions determined PROP taster status. Respondents also tasted five sucrose and seven caffeine solutions, as well as seven solutions each of caffeine and PROP that had been sweetened with 0.3 mmol/l neohesperidin dihydrochalcone (NHDC). Respondents also rated three kinds of chocolate using 9-point category scales. PROP tasters rated caffeine solutions as more bitter than did non-tasters and liked them less. PROP tasters did not rate either sucrose or NHDC as more sweet. The addition of NHDC to PROP and caffeine solutions suppressed bitterness intensity more effectively for tasters than for non-tasters and improved hedonic ratings among both groups. PROP tasters and non-tasters showed the same hedonic response to sweetened caffeine solutions and did not differ in their sensory responses to chocolate. Genetic taste markers may have only a minor impact on the consumption of such foods as sweetened coffee or chocolate.     

A pediatric weight management program for high-risk populations: a preliminary analysis

Objective: To determine whether a multidisciplinary pediatric weight management program effectively improves BMI, BMI z‐score, and cardiovascular risk factors (CVRFs) in high‐risk populations. Methods and Procedures: A retrospective chart review was performed on children seen in the NEW Kids Program at the Children's Hospital of Wisconsin, a family‐based clinic that treats pediatric obesity using medical management, nutrition education, behavioral intervention, and physical activity. Inclusion criteria were program participation for ≥9 months and >4 visits. Analyses were performed to identify factors associated with pre‐ to postintervention changes in BMI, BMI z‐score, and CVRF laboratory values. Results: A total of 66 patients met inclusion criteria; the mean age was 11 years (s.d. ± 3.4), 56% were racial/ethnic minorities, 45% were Medicaid recipients, 48% resided in impoverished communities, and 38% had a BMI ≥40 kg/m². Of the 66 patients, 91% had more than one weight‐related comorbidity, 88% had CVRFs, and the preintervention mean BMI was 37 kg/m². After the intervention, there was an overall increase in absolute BMI, but a small, yet significant decrease in BMI z‐score (mean ?0.03 ± 0.16; P < 0.05). There were significant pregroup to postgroup improvements in total cholesterol, low‐density lipoprotein, and triglycerides levels (P < 0.05). Insurance coverage, race/ethnicity, gender, age, and initial BMI were not significantly associated with changes in BMI or BMI z‐score. Discussion: A multidisciplinary pediatric weight management program can improve the weight status of high‐risk populations, including minorities, Medicaid recipients, patients with multiple comorbidities and CVRFs, and the severely obese.     

Reexamining Obesigenic Families: Parents’ Obesity‐related Behaviors Predict Girls’ Change in BMI

Objective: It has been shown that girls from families in which mothers and fathers had high dietary intake and low physical activity (i.e., obesigenic families) were at increased risk of obesity from ages 5 to 7 years. This follow‐up study uses additional data collected when girls were 9 and 11 years old to examine whether girls from obesigenic families continued to show greater increases in BMI over time and reported unhealthy dietary and activity patterns. Research Methods and Procedures: Families from the original cohort were reexamined when girls were 9 and 11 years of age. Parents’ and girls’ BMI, dietary intake, and physical activity and girls’ percentage body fat and television viewing were assessed. Results: In comparison with girls from non‐obesigenic families, girls from obesigenic families showed greater increases in BMI and BMI z score from ages 5 to 7 years that were maintained across ages 7 to 11 years. Furthermore, girls from obesigenic families had higher percentage body fat at ages 9 and 11 years. These results were independent of parents’ BMI. Additional findings showed that girls from obesigenic families had diets higher in percentage fat and had higher levels of television viewing than girls from non‐obesigenic families. Discussion: The environment that parents create, by way of their own dietary and physical activity behaviors, may have a lasting negative effect on children's weight trajectories and their emerging obesity risk behaviors, such as their dietary patterns. These findings further highlight the importance of the family in establishing children's obesity risk and the necessity of targeting parents of young children in obesity prevention efforts.     

Maternal Feeding Practices Become More Controlling After and Not Before Excessive Rates of Weight Gain

It is unclear whether controlling maternal feeding practices (CMFPs) lead to or are a response to increases in a child's BMI. Our goal was to determine the direction of this relationship. Data were obtained from National Institute of Child Health and Human Development's Study of Early Child Care and Youth Development. Child BMI z‐score (zBMI) was calculated from measured weight and height. CMFP was defined by, “Do you let your child eat what he/she feels like eating?”. Change in child zBMI was calculated between 4–7 years and 7–9 years, and dichotomized into “increasing” vs. “no change or decreasing”. Change in CMFP was calculated over the same time periods, and dichotomized into “more controlling” vs. “no change or less controlling.” Multiple logistic regression, stratified by gender and controlling for race, maternal education, maternal weight status, and baseline child weight status, was used for analysis. A total of 789 children were included. From 4 to 9 years, mean zBMI increased (P = 0.02) and mothers became more controlling (P < 0.001). Increasing CMFP between 4 and 7 years was associated with decreased odds of increasing zBMI between 7 and 9 years in boys (odds ratio = 0.52, 95% confidence interval = 0.27–1.00). There was no relationship in girls. Increasing zBMI between 4 and 7 years was associated with increasing CMFPs between 7 and 9 years in girls (odds ratio = 1.72, 95% confidence interval = 1.08–2.74), but not boys. Early increases in CMFP were not associated with later increases in zBMI for boys or girls. However, early increases in zBMI among girls were associated with later increases in CMFP. Clarifying the relationship between maternal feeding practices and child weight will inform future recommendations.     

Parental obesity moderates the relationship between childhood appetitive traits and weight

Objective:

In this study, the independent and combined associations between childhood appetitive traits and parental obesity on weight gain from 0 to 24 months and body mass index (BMI) z‐score at 24 months in a diverse community‐based sample of dual parent families (n = 213) were examined.

Design and Methods:

Participants were mothers who had recently completed a randomized trial of weight loss for overweight/obese postpartum women. As measures of childhood appetitive traits, mothers completed subscales of the Children's Eating Behavior Questionnaire, including Desire to Drink (DD), Enjoyment of Food (EF), and Satiety Responsiveness (SR), and a 24‐h dietary recall for their child. Heights and weights were measured for all children and mothers and self‐reported for mothers' partners. The relationship between children's appetitive traits and parental obesity on toddler weight gain and BMI z‐score were evaluated using multivariate linear regression models, controlling for a number of potential confounders.

Results:

Having two obese parents was related to greater weight gain from birth to 24 months independent of childhood appetitive traits, and although significant associations were found between appetitive traits (DD and SR) and child BMI z‐score at 24 months, these associations were observed only among children who had two obese parents. When both parents were obese, increasing DD and decreasing SR were associated with a higher BMI z‐score.

Conclusions:

The results highlight the importance of considering familial risk factors when examining the relationship between childhood appetitive traits on childhood obesity.     

Maternal corticotropin-releasing hormone levels during pregnancy and offspring adiposity

Objective: Animal models suggest that fetal exposure to glucocorticoids can program adiposity, especially central adiposity, later in life. We examined associations of maternal corticotropin‐releasing hormone (CRH) levels in the late 2nd trimester of pregnancy, a marker of fetal glucocorticoid exposure, with child adiposity at age 3 years. Research Methods and Procedures: We analyzed data from 199 participants in Project Viva, a prospective cohort study of pregnant women and their children, At age 3 years, the main outcomes were age‐sex‐specific BMI z score and the sum of subscapular (SS) and triceps (TR) skinfold thicknesses to represent overall adiposity, and ratio of SS to TR (SS:TR) to represent central adiposity. Results: Mean (standard deviation) maternal 2nd trimester log CRH was 4.94 (0.56) pg/mL. At age 3, mean (standard deviation) for BMI z score was 0.52 (1.02); for SS + TR, 16.51 (3.94) mm; and for SS:TR, 0.67 (0.17). Log CRH was mildly inversely correlated with birth weight (r = ?0.08), chiefly because of its association with length of gestation (r = ?0.21) rather than fetal growth (r = ?0.004). After adjustment for sociodemographic factors, maternal smoking, BMI, and gestational weight gain, fetal growth, length of gestation, breastfeeding duration, and (for SS:TR only) child's 3‐year BMI, each increment of 1 unit of log CRH was associated with a reduction in BMI z score [?0.43; 95% confidence interval (CI), ?0.73, ?0.14; p = 0.004] and possible reduction in SS + TR (?1.10; 95% CI, ?2.33, 0.14; p = 0.08). In contrast, log CRH was associated with higher SS:TR (0.07; 95% CI, 0.02, 0.13; p = 0.007). Discussion: Fetal exposure to glucocorticoids, although associated with an overall decrease in body size, may cause an increase in central adiposity.     

Energy‐Dense Snack Food Intake in Adolescence: Longitudinal Relationship to Weight and Fatness

Objective: The longitudinal relationship between the consumption of energy‐dense snack (EDS) foods and relative weight change during adolescence is uncertain. Using data from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology Growth and Development Study, the current analysis was undertaken to examine the longitudinal relationship of EDS food intake with relative weight status and percentage body fat and to examine how EDS food consumption is related to television viewing. Research Methods and Procedures: One hundred ninety‐six nonobese premenarcheal girls 8 to 12 years old were enrolled between 1990 and 1993 and followed until 4 years after menarche. At each annual follow‐up visit, data were collected on percentage body fat (%BF), BMI z score, and dietary intake. Categories of EDS foods considered were baked goods, ice cream, chips, sugar‐sweetened soda, and candy. Results: At study entry, girls had a mean ± SD BMI z score of ?0.27 ± 0.89, consumed 2.3 ± 1.7 servings of EDS foods per day, and consumed 15.7 ± 8.1% of daily calories from EDS foods. Linear mixed effects modeling indicated no relationship between BMI z score or %BF and total EDS food consumption. Soda was the only EDS food that was significantly related to BMI z score over the 10‐year study period, but it was not related to %BF. In addition, a significant, positive relationship was observed between EDS food consumption and television viewing. Discussion: In this cohort of initially nonobese girls, overall EDS food consumption does not seem to influence weight status or fatness change over the adolescent period.     

Influence of Body Composition on the Accuracy of Reported Energy Intake in Children

Objective: Mis‐reporting dietary intake is a substantial barrier to understanding the role of dietary behavior in disease. Work with adults indicates that heavier individuals under‐report dietary intake and that under‐reporting may be macronutrient‐specific. Whether weight status and macronutrient intake influence the accuracy of dietary reports among children, however, is less clear. This research evaluated children's dietary reporting accuracy as a function of their relative weight, body composition, and macronutrient intake. Research Methods and Procedures: Participants included 146 4‐ to 11‐year‐old children. Reported energy intake was determined by interviewing children in the presence of parents, using three multiple pass, 24‐hour recalls. Children were classified as having had an under‐reported, accurately reported, or over‐reported dietary intake relative to total energy expenditure, as measured by doubly labeled water. Reporting accuracy was examined as a function of children's body weight, body composition (using dual energy x‐ray absorptiometry), and macronutrient intake. Results: Average reported intake was, on average, 14% greater than children's estimated expenditure (p < 0.01). Reporting accuracy varied as a function of children's relative weight and body composition; under‐reporting tended to occur among heavier children, having the highest body fat content (p < 0.0001) and relative weight (p < 0.0001). Discussion: These findings suggest that weight status influences the accuracy of dietary reports made by children and their parents. More research is needed to address possible psychological and social factors that introduce bias in reporting children's dietary data.     

The intergenerational transmission of BMI in China

Based on the China Health and Nutrition Survey longitudinal data from 1989 to 2009 and using BMI z-score as the measure of adiposity, we estimate the intergenerational transmission of BMI in China. The OLS estimates suggest that a one standard deviation increase in father's or mother's BMI is associated with an increase of around 20% in child's Body Mass Index (BMI) z-score. These estimates decrease to around 14% when we control for family fixed effects. We examine the heterogeneity of this BMI intergenerational transmission process across family income, parental occupation and poverty status and also find this intergenerational correlation tends to be higher among children of higher BMI levels, though this tendency becomes weaker as children approach adulthood.     

Controlled study of critical parent and family factors in the obesigenic environment

Objective: Critical gaps remain in our understanding of the obesigenic family environment. This study examines parent and family characteristics among obese youth presenting for treatment in a clinic setting. Research Methods and Procedures: Families of 78 obese youth (BMI z‐score = 2.4; age, 8 to 16 years; 59% girls; 49% African‐American) were compared with 71 non‐overweight (BMI z‐score = ?0.02) demographically matched comparisons. Parents completed measures assessing family demographics, psychological distress (Symptom Checklist 90‐Revised), and family functioning both broadly (Family Environment Scale: Conflicted, Support, Control) and at mealtimes (About Your Child's Eating‐Revised: Mealtime Challenges, Positive Mealtime Interaction). Height and weight were obtained from all participants. Results: Compared with mothers and fathers of non‐overweight youth, parents of obese youth had significantly higher BMIs (p < 0.001). Mothers of obese youth reported significantly greater psychological distress (p < 0.01), higher family conflict (p < 0.05), and more mealtime challenges (p < 0.01). Less positive family mealtime interactions were reported by both mothers (p < 0.01) and fathers (p < 0.05) of obese youth. These group differences did not vary by child sex or race. Logistic regression analyses indicated that maternal distress and mealtime challenges discriminated between obese and non‐overweight youth after controlling for maternal BMI. Family conflict was explained, in part, by maternal distress. Discussion: Obese youth who present for treatment in a clinic setting are characterized by psychosocial factors at the parent and family level that differ from non‐overweight youth. These data are critical because they identify factors that may be serving as barriers to a family's or youth's ability to implement healthy lifestyle behaviors but that are potentially modifiable.     

Genetic taste responses to 6-n-propylthiouracil among adults: a screening tool for epidemiological studies.

Genetically mediated taste responsiveness to 6-n-propylthiouracil (PROP) has been linked to reduced acceptance of some bitter foods. In this community-based study male (n = 364) and female (n = 378) adults enrolled in a self-help dietary intervention trial were screened for PROP taster status. Respondents, aged 18--70 years, were mailed filter papers impregnated with PROP or with aspartame solutions. They received instructions to rate taste intensity and hedonic preference using nine point category scales. Women rated PROP as more bitter than did men. Both sweetness and bitterness ratings were lower for older adults. Taste responsiveness to PROP was unrelated to body mass index in women or men. Higher bitterness ratings for PROP were weakly associated with higher sweetness ratings for aspartame, but were unrelated to sweet taste preferences. Successful administration of PROP filter papers by mail suggests new avenues for the screening of taste phenotypes in epidemiological studies.