Avaliação da neofobia alimentar em gêmeos

Abstract

The feeding behavior refers to the attitudes related to the dietary practices of the individual and can act to promote the alimentary habit. There are some behavioral reactions that can increase or restrict food consumption. Food neophobia is characterized by the individual resistance to try a new food that can interfere in the nutritional balance, impacting the body composition. The relationship between genetic and environmental factors provides important clues to accounting for individual differences, especially in relation to the food choice process and the study with twins makes it possible to observe these factors. Thus, the objective of this study was to investigate the role of the degree of genetic proximity on the similarity in the neophobic response and its possible correlation with the body composition and zygosity. This research is composed of two cross-sectional descriptive studies. In Study 1, 138 adult subjects, both sexes, were submitted to the application of the Food Neophobia Scale (FNS) and anthropometric measurements and body composition measurements. In Study 2 the sample consisted of 138 adult individuals, both sexes, divided into 3 groups: monozygotic twins (MZ), dizygotic twins (DZ) and non-twin siblings (NT) with age difference of up to three years, who answered the Food Neophobia Scale (FNS). The results of Study 1 showed that dietary neophobia does not correlate with the measures for body composition analyzed in our study, BMI, lean mass and fat mass. In Study 2 the results showed a tendency for differentiation between groups, but not statistically significant. The results pointed to a heritability index of 29% for food neophobia classified as moderate mild. These findings become relevant for the understanding of the response of food neophobia and open important ways for its impact not only on body composition, but also on diet composition and on people's eating habits, as it can be reflected in several food decisions.