Investigating the Association Between Genetic Variants and Response to a One-Year Lifestyle Intervention Targeting Metabolic Syndrome

Although lifestyle interventions are generally successful for reducing metabolic syndrome (MetS) risk, significant variability in response between people exists. This thesis investigated factors that influence response to a 1-year, personalized, team-based lifestyle intervention targeting individuals with MetS. Using data collected from the Canadian Health Advanced by Nutrition and Graded Exercise (CHANGE) program, it was found that reductions in continuous MetS (cMetS) score at 3 months and 1 year were associated with two single nucleotide polymorphisms: rs662799 (A/G) in apolipoprotein A5 (APOA5) and rs1501299 (G/T) in adiponectin (ADIPOQ). Next, predictive models were developed to investigate if baseline variables could predict cMetS score at 1 year in the CHANGE program. Baseline systolic blood pressure and short-term changes in cMetS score were found to be predictive of 1-year cMetS score. Collectively, this thesis demonstrates the power of genetic and bioclinical measurements to unravel the inter-individual variability in response to lifestyle interventions targeting MetS.