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. 2023 Apr 13;15(8):1884.
doi: 10.3390/nu15081884.

Associations of VEGF-A-Related Variants with Adolescent Cardiometabolic and Dietary Parameters

Maria Kafyra  1 , Ioanna Panagiota Kalafati  1   2 , Ioanna Gavra  1 , Sophie Siest  3   4 , George V Dedoussis  1
Affiliations

Associations of VEGF-A-Related Variants with Adolescent Cardiometabolic and Dietary Parameters

Maria Kafyra et al. Nutrients. .

Abstract

Previous research has allowed the identification of variants related to the vascular endothelial growth factor-A (VEGF-A) and their association with anthropometric, lipidemic and glycemic indices. The present study examined potential relations between key VEGF-A-related single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs), cardiometabolic parameters and dietary habits in an adolescent cohort. Cross-sectional analyses were conducted using baseline data from 766 participants of the Greek TEENAGE study. Eleven VEGF-A-related SNPs were examined for associations with cardiometabolic indices through multivariate linear regressions after adjusting for confounding factors. A 9-SNP unweighted genetic risk score (uGRS) for increased VEGF-A levels was constructed to examine associations and the effect of its interactions with previously extracted dietary patterns for the cohort. Two variants (rs4416670, rs7043199) displayed significant associations (p-values < 0.005) with the logarithms of systolic and diastolic blood pressure (logSBP and logDBP). The uGRS was significantly associated with higher values of the logarithm of Body Mass Index (logBMI) and logSBP (p-values < 0.05). Interactions between the uGRS and specific dietary patterns were related to higher logDBP and logGlucose (p-values < 0.01). The present analyses constitute the first-ever attempt to investigate the influence of VEGF-A-related variants on teenage cardiometabolic determinants, unveiling several associations and the modifying effect of diet.

Keywords: adolescents; cardiometabolic profile; dietary patterns; genetic risk score; vascular endothelial growth factor A (VEGF-A).

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare no conflict of interest.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Violin plots depicting the distribution of (A) logBMI, (B) logSBP and (C) logHDL between the two groups of the 9-SNP VEGF-A unweighted GRS (low versus high), separated by the sample median (p-values < 0.05).
Figure 1
Figure 1
Violin plots depicting the distribution of (A) logBMI, (B) logSBP and (C) logHDL between the two groups of the 9-SNP VEGF-A unweighted GRS (low versus high), separated by the sample median (p-values < 0.05).
Figure 1
Figure 1
Violin plots depicting the distribution of (A) logBMI, (B) logSBP and (C) logHDL between the two groups of the 9-SNP VEGF-A unweighted GRS (low versus high), separated by the sample median (p-values < 0.05).
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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