Skip to main content

Advertisement

SpringerLink
Log in

Genetic Testing for Obesity: Implications and Challenges

  • Psychological Issues (M Hetherington and V Drapeau, Section Editors)
  • Published:
Current Obesity Reports Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

Purpose of Review

This review summarizes the experimental literature on behavioral outcomes and psychological effects of genetic testing for obesity. Such tests, although of dubious value, are increasingly marketed to the public, and there has been concern that while results may encourage some consumers to increase the healthfulness of their lifestyles, others may interpret feedback in maladaptive ways.

Recent Findings

Hypothetical vignettes have been used in artificial settings; few studies have investigated outcomes of actual test results.

Summary

At present, the effects of genetic testing for obesity seem limited to improving consumers’ weight control intentions and motivation rather than actual dietary behavior. Evidence for negative psychological consequences is scarce and seems of greater concern for normal weight persons than for those who are overweight. Better research designs carried out in the field rather than the laboratory with more diverse samples are needed.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Log in via an institution

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Similar content being viewed by others

References

Papers of particular interest, published recently, have been highlighted as: • Of importance

  1. Walley AJ, Blakemore AIF, Froguel P. Genetics of obesity and the prediction of risk for health. Hum Mol Genet. 2006;15 suppl 2:R124–R30.

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  2. Claussnitzer M, Dankel SN, Kim K-H, Quon G, Meuleman W, Haugen C, et al. FTO obesity variant circuitry and adipocyte browning in humans. N Engl J Med. 2015;373(10):895–907.

    Article  CAS  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  3. Xiang L, Wu H, Pan A, Patel B, Xiang G, Qi L, et al. FTO genotype and weight loss in diet and lifestyle interventions: a systematic review and meta-analysis. Am J Clin Nutr. 2016;103(4):1162–70.

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  4. • Albuquerque D, Stice E, Rodríguez-López R, Manco L, Nóbrega C. Current review of genetics of human obesity: from molecular mechanisms to an evolutionary perspective. Mol Gen Genomics. 2015;290(4):1191–221. This recent review summarizes data on genetics’ effects on risk for obesity, focusing on common rather than monogenic obesity and detailing loci found by genome-wide association studies.

  5. • Xia Q, Grant SF. The genetics of human obesity. Ann N Y Acad Sci. 2013;1281:178–90. This review describes recent consensus on the genetic architecture of obesity and calls for improved data analyses and technological advances in order to explain the heritability of body mass index.

  6. Hetherington MM, Cecil JE. Gene-environment interactions in obesity. Forum Nutr. 2010;63:195–203.

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  7. Dar-Nimrod I, Heine SJ. Genetic essentialism: on the deceptive determinism of DNA. Psychol Bull. 2011;137(5):800–18.

    Article  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  8. Meisel SF, Walker C, Wardle J. Psychological responses to genetic testing for weight gain: a vignette study. Obesity (Silver Spring). 2012;20(3):540–6.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  9. Segal ME, Polansky M, Sankar P. Predictors of uptake of obesity genetic testing among affected adults. Hum Genet. 2007;120(5):641–52.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  10. Wasserman E. FDA cracks down on genetic test makers for direct-to-consumer marketing. Fierce Biotech [Internet]. 2015 October 182016. Available from: http://www.fiercebiotech.com/medical-devices/fda-cracks-down-genetic-test-makers-for-direct-to-consumer-marketing.

  11. Silverman RE. Companies offering employees genetic tests to combat obesity, breast cancer. Wall Street Journal [Internet]. 2015 October 18 2016; 2015(December 17 2015). Available from: https://www.geneticliteracyproject.org/2015/12/17/companies-offering-employees-genetic-tests-combat-obesity-breast-cancer/.

  12. Janz NK, Becker MH. The health belief model: a decade later. Health Educ Behav. 1984;11(1):1–47.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  13. Rosenstock IM, Strecher VJ, Becker MH. Social learning theory and the health belief model. Health Educ Behav. 1988;15(2):175–83.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  14. Puhl RM, Heuer CA. The stigma of obesity: a review and update. Obesity (Silver Spring). 2009;17(5):941–64.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  15. Straus RS. Childhood obesity and self-esteem. Pediatrics. 2000;105(1):1–5.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  16. Pearce MJ, Boergers J, Prinstein MJ. Adolescent obesity, overt and relational peer victimization, and romantic relationships. Obes Res. 2002;10(5):386–93.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  17. Wallis DJ, Hetherington MM. Emotions and eating. Self-reported and experimentally induced changes in food intake under stress. Appetite. 2009;52(2):355–62.

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  18. Chaput J-P, Drapeau V, Hetherington M, Lemieux S, Provencher V, Tremblay A. Psychobiological effects observed in obese men experiencing body weight loss plateau. Depression Anxiety. 2007;24(7):518–21.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  19. Wang C, Gordon ES, Stack CB, Liu CT, Norkunas T, Wawak L, et al. A randomized trial of the clinical utility of genetic testing for obesity: design and implementation considerations. Clin Trials (Lond Engl). 2014;11(1):102–13.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  20. Marteau TM, Weinman J. Self-regulation and the behavioural response to DNA risk information: a theoretical analysis and framework for future research. Soc Sci Med. 2006;62(6):1360–8.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  21. Kral TV, Hetherington MM. Variability in children’s eating response to portion size. A biobehavioral perspective. Appetite. 2015;88:5–10.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  22. Segal ME, Polansky M, Sankar P. Adults’ values and attitudes about genetic testing for obesity risk in children. Int J Pediatr Obes. 2007;2(1):11–21.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  23. Segal ME, Sankar P, Reed DR. Research issues in genetic testing of adolescents for obesity. Nutr Rev. 2004;62(8):307–20.

    Article  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  24. Caulfield T, Borry P, Toews M, Elger BS, Greely HT, McGuire A. Marginally scientific? Genetic testing of children and adolescents for lifestyle and health promotion. J Law Biosci. 2015:lsv038.

  25. Harvey-Berino J, Gold EC, West DS, Shuldiner AR, Walston J, Starling RD, et al. Does genetic testing for obesity influence confidence in the ability to lose weight? A pilot investigation. J Am Diet Assoc. 2001;101.

  26. Frosch DL, Mello P, Lerman C. Behavioral consequences of testing for obesity risk. Cancer Epidemiol Biomarkers Prev. 2005;14(6):1485–9.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  27. Conradt M, Dierk JM, Schlumberger P, Albohn C, Rauh E, Hinney A, et al. A consultation with genetic information about obesity decreases self-blame about eating and leads to realistic weight loss goals in obese individuals. J Psychosom Res. 2009;66(4):287–95.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  28. Sanderson SC, Persky S, Michie S. Psychological and behavioral responses to genetic test results indicating increased risk of obesity: does the causal pathway from gene to obesity matter? Public Health Genomics. 2010;13(1):34–47.

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  29. Wright AJ, Sutton SR, Hankins M, Whitwell SC, Macfarlane A, Marteau TM. Why does genetic causal information alter perceived treatment effectiveness? An analogue study. Br J Health Psychol. 2012;17(2):294–313.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  30. Meisel SF, Beeken RJ, van Jaarsveld CH, Wardle J. Genetic susceptibility testing and readiness to control weight: results from a randomized controlled trial. Obesity (Silver Spring). 2015;23(2):305–12.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  31. Knerr S, Bowen DJ, Beresford SA, Wang C. Genetic causal beliefs about obesity, self-efficacy for weight control, and obesity-related behaviours in a middle-aged female cohort. Psychol Health. 2016;31(4):420–35.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Research Center for Health Care Decision-making, Inc., 706 East Hartwell Lane, Wyndmoor, PA, 19038, USA

    Mary Segal

Authors
  1. Mary Segal
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Mary Segal.

Ethics declarations

Conflict of Interest

Mary Segal declares that she has no conflict of interest.

Human and Animal Rights and Informed Consent

All reported studies/experiments with human subjects performed by the author have been previously published and complied with all applicable ethical standards (including the Helsinki declaration and its amendments, institutional/national research committee standards, and international/national/institutional guidelines).

Additional information

This article is part of the Topical Collection on Psychological Issues

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Check for updates. Verify currency and authenticity via CrossMark

Cite this article

Segal, M. Genetic Testing for Obesity: Implications and Challenges. Curr Obes Rep 6, 93–100 (2017). https://doi.org/10.1007/s13679-017-0245-z

Download citation

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s13679-017-0245-z

Keywords

Search

Navigation