Grant: Operating Grant

Overweight and obesity result from an imbalance between energy intake and energy expenditure. Although it is established that obesity is influenced by genetic factors, little is known about the role of genes in determining eating behaviors and dietary intake and the role of these genes in determining the genetic susceptibility to obesity. The objective of this research is to investigate how genetic factors influence the relationships between eating behaviors, dietary intake and obesity related traits and identify new genes that could influence these traits. This research will be conducted on 951 adult men and women from 223 French Canadian families in which habitual food intake and several obesity-related traits have been measured. Finding genes influencing traits related to eating behaviors will contribute to increase our understanding of the biological relationships between eating behaviors, dietary intake and obesity, which will eventually improve our capacity to better prevent and treat obesity.