title: The impact ofMTHFR677C → T risk knowledge on changes in folate intake: findings from the Food4Me study.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  It is hypothesised that individuals with knowledge of their genetic risk are more likely to make health-promoting dietary and lifestyle changes. The present study aims to test this hypothesis using data from the Food4Me study. This was a 6-month Internet-based randomised controlled trial conducted across seven centres in Europe where individuals received either general healthy eating advice or varying levels of personalised nutrition advice. Participants who received genotype-based personalised advice were informed whether they had the risk (CT/TT) (n= 178) or non-risk (CC) (n= 141) alleles of the methylenetetrahydrofolate reductase (MTHFR) gene in relation to cardiovascular health and the importance of a sufficient intake of folate. General linear model analysis was used to assess changes in folate intake between theMTHFRrisk,MTHFRnon-risk and control groups from baseline to month 6 of the intervention.
  
  
  RESULTS
  There were no differences between the groups for age, gender or BMI. However, there was a significant difference in country distribution between the groups (p= 0.010). Baseline folate intakes were 412 ± 172, 391 ± 190 and 410 ± 186 μg per 10 MJ for the risk, non-risk and control groups, respectively. There were no significant differences between the three groups in terms of changes in folate intakes from baseline to month 6. Similarly, there were no changes in reported intake of food groups high in folate.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  These results suggest that knowledge ofMTHFR677C → T genotype did not improve folate intake in participants with the risk variant compared with those with the non-risk variant.
  
  
  BACKGROUND
  ClinicalTrials.gov NCT01530139.
authors.affiliation: Institute of Food & Health, University College Dublin, Dublin 4, Ireland.
authors.forename: Clare B
authors.initials: CB
authors.lastname: O'Donovan
authors.affiliation: Institute of Food & Health, University College Dublin, Dublin 4, Ireland.
authors.forename: Marianne C
authors.initials: MC
authors.lastname: Walsh
authors.affiliation: Institute of Food & Health, University College Dublin, Dublin 4, Ireland.
authors.forename: Hannah
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Forster
authors.affiliation: Institute of Food & Health, University College Dublin, Dublin 4, Ireland.
authors.forename: Clara
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Woolhead
authors.affiliation: Human Nutrition Research Centre, Institute of Cellular Medicine, Newcastle University, Newcastle, NE4 5PL UK.
authors.forename: Carlos
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Celis-Morales
authors.affiliation: Hugh Sinclair Unit of Human Nutrition and Institute for Cardiovascular and Metabolic Health, University of Reading, Reading, RG6 6AR UK.
authors.forename: Rosalind
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Fallaize
authors.affiliation: Hugh Sinclair Unit of Human Nutrition and Institute for Cardiovascular and Metabolic Health, University of Reading, Reading, RG6 6AR UK.
authors.forename: Anna L
authors.initials: AL
authors.lastname: Macready
authors.affiliation: Department of Human Biology, NUTRIM, Maastricht University, Maastricht, The Netherlands.
authors.forename: Cyril F M
authors.initials: CF
authors.lastname: Marsaux
authors.affiliation: Department of Nutrition, Food Science and Physiology, University of Navarra, Pamplona, Spain ; CIBERobn, Fisiopatología de la Obesidad y Nutrición, INstituto de Salud Carlos III, Madrid, Spain.
authors.forename: Santiago
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Navas-Carretero
authors.affiliation: Department of Nutrition, Food Science and Physiology, University of Navarra, Pamplona, Spain.
authors.forename: Rodrigo
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: San-Cristobal
authors.affiliation: ZIEL Research Center of Nutrition and Food Sciences, Biochemistry Unit, Technische Universität München, Munich, Germany.
authors.forename: Silvia
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Kolossa
authors.affiliation: Department of Nutrition and Dietetics, Harokopio University, Athens, Greece.
authors.forename: Christina
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Mavrogianni
authors.affiliation: Department of Nutrition and Dietetics, Harokopio University, Athens, Greece.
authors.forename: Christina P
authors.initials: CP
authors.lastname: Lambrinou
authors.affiliation: Department of Nutrition and Dietetics, Harokopio University, Athens, Greece.
authors.forename: George
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Moschonis
authors.affiliation: National Food & Nutrition Institute, Warsaw, Poland.
authors.forename: Magdalena
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Godlewska
authors.affiliation: National Food & Nutrition Institute, Warsaw, Poland.
authors.forename: Agnieszka
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Surwillo
authors.affiliation: TNO, Microbiology and Systems Biology Group, Zeist, The Netherlands.
authors.forename: Jildau
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Bouwman
authors.affiliation: Eurogenetica Ltd, Salisbury Road, Burnham-on-Sea, TA8 1HX UK.
authors.forename: Keith
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Grimaldi
authors.affiliation: Department of Human Nutrition, Faculty of Health Sciences, Medical University of Warsaw, Warsaw, Poland.
authors.forename: Iwona
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Traczyk
authors.affiliation: Department of Nutrition, Institute of Basic Medical Sciences, University of Oslo, Oslo, Norway.
authors.forename: Christian A
authors.initials: CA
authors.lastname: Drevon
authors.affiliation: ZIEL Research Center of Nutrition and Food Sciences, Biochemistry Unit, Technische Universität München, Munich, Germany.
authors.forename: Hannelore
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Daniel
authors.affiliation: Department of Nutrition and Dietetics, Harokopio University, Athens, Greece.
authors.forename: Yannis
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Manios
authors.affiliation: Department of Nutrition, Food Science and Physiology, University of Navarra, Pamplona, Spain ; CIBERobn, Fisiopatología de la Obesidad y Nutrición, INstituto de Salud Carlos III, Madrid, Spain ; IDISNA, Instituto de Investigación Sanitaria de Navarra, Pamplona, Spain.
authors.forename: J Alfredo
authors.initials: JA
authors.lastname: Martinez
authors.affiliation: Department of Human Biology, NUTRIM, Maastricht University, Maastricht, The Netherlands.
authors.forename: Wim H M
authors.initials: WH
authors.lastname: Saris
authors.affiliation: Hugh Sinclair Unit of Human Nutrition and Institute for Cardiovascular and Metabolic Health, University of Reading, Reading, RG6 6AR UK.
authors.forename: Julie A
authors.initials: JA
authors.lastname: Lovegrove
authors.affiliation: Human Nutrition Research Centre, Institute of Cellular Medicine, Newcastle University, Newcastle, NE4 5PL UK.
authors.forename: John C
authors.initials: JC
authors.lastname: Mathers
authors.affiliation: Institute of Food & Health, University College Dublin, Dublin 4, Ireland.
authors.forename: Michael J
authors.initials: MJ
authors.lastname: Gibney
authors.affiliation: Institute of Food & Health, University College Dublin, Dublin 4, Ireland.
authors.forename: Lorraine
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Brennan
authors.affiliation: Institute of Food & Health, University College Dublin, Dublin 4, Ireland.
authors.forename: Eileen R
authors.initials: ER
authors.lastname: Gibney
keywords: Folate; Genetic risk knowledge; MTHFR; Methylenetetrahydrofolate reductase 677C → T genotype; Personalised nutrition