Epigenetic and genetic factors modifying the association between diet quality and incident type 2 diabetes: the EPIC-Potsdam cohort
Authors' conclusion
The associations of healthy diets with T2D could depend on the diabetes risk captured by blood DNA methylation profiles, but they do not seem to depend on the genetic predisposition for T2D.
Study context
- Population
- Participants of the European Prospective Investigation into Cancer and Nutrition (EPIC)-Potsdam cohort; diet quality assessed by Alternative Healthy Eating Index (AHEI-2010), Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension (DASH), Dietary Inflammatory Index (DII) and MedPyr
- Exposure
- Modification of the diet quality–T2D association by epigenetic (methylation risk score (MRS)) and genetic (polygenic risk scores (PRS), pPRS) risk scores
- Outcome
- Modification of the diet quality–incident T2D association by MRS, PRS and pPRS
Methodological detailscase-cohort within the EPIC-Potsdam cohort, Cox proportional hazards models, Genetic subsample: 2204 participants, 750 verified incident T2D cases; epigenetic subsample: 1065 participants, 676 verified incident T2D cases
- Case-cohort within the EPIC-Potsdam cohort
- Cox proportional hazards models
- Genetic subsample: 2204 participants, 750 verified incident T2D cases; epigenetic subsample: 1065 participants, 676 verified incident T2D cases
Main finding
As reported in the abstract
Interaction of diet quality with MRS on T2D risk
- No evidence of interaction between diet quality and genetic risk (PRS, pPRS)
- AHEI-2010 × MRS: P = 0.008
- MedPyr × MRS: P < 0.0001
- DII × MRS: P = 0.010
Observational data: associations, not effects.
Further findings
Main associations with T2D risk
- Higher adherence to AHEI-2010 associated with lower T2D risk
- Higher MRS, PRS and pPRS indicated higher T2D risk
Original publication
Epigenetic and genetic factors modifying the association between diet quality and incident type 2 diabetes: the EPIC-Potsdam cohort. Cardiovasc Diabetol. Published 11 September 2026. doi:10.
Composed by AI from the published abstract and checked against it. How Briefs are made →