본 연구에서는 해조류 섭취와 염증과 관련된 유전자의 변이 및 다유전자 위험 점수 간의 상호작용이 염증에 미치는 영향을 확인하였다. 남성과 여성 모두 PRS가 높은 그룹에서 염증 발생 위험은 증가하였다. 본 연구에서는 해조류의 섭취가 염증과 직접적인 관련이 있는 것으로 밝혀지지 않았지만, 해조류 섭취와 다유전자 위험 점수 변이 사이에선 통계적으로 유의한 결과를 보였다. 특히, 낮은 해조류의 섭취는 높은 다유전자 위험 점수를 가진 여성에서 고염증 발생 위험이 높았다. 따라서 본 연구결과는 한국인에게서 작용하는 염증 및 염증질환에 대한 유전자 소인을 파악할 수 있고 면역 체계의 균형 및 건강 유지에 새로운 중재방안을 제시할 수 있음을 기대한다.
Introduction: Seaweed is a sustainable and underexplored source of bioactive compounds with potent anti-inflammatory activities. However, studies on the interaction between seaweed and genes on inflammation are limited. Purpose: We aimed to evaluate the relationships between seaweed consumption and the polygenic risk scores (PRS) and their interactions with high-sensitivity C-reactive protein (hs-CRP) levels. Methods: Information on seaweed consumption was collected using a food frequency questionnaire, which included laver, kelp, and sea mustard among the items consumed. A total of 31 hs-CRP-related single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) were selected using genomewide association studies and clumping analysis, and the individual PRS were calculated by weighting the effect size of each allele in the selected SNPs of 39,369 middle-aged (≥40 years) Koreans using the Korean Genome and Epidemiology Study (KoGES)-Health Examinees (HEXA) cohort data. To investigate the interaction between seaweed intake and the PRS on hs-CRP levels >1 mg/L, hazard ratios (HRs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) were assessed using multivariable Cox proportional hazards models. Results: During a mean follow-up period of 4.8 years, we recorded 436 patients with elevated hs-CRP levels. Women in the highest tertile of the PRS with the lowest quartile of seaweed intake had an increased incidence of elevated hs-CRP levels compared with women in the lowest tertile of the PRS with the lowest seaweed intake quartile (HR 2.34, 95% CI 1.23–4.45). No significant association was observed among the men. Conclusion: In conclusion, we identified a new interaction between the PRS, seaweed intake, and inflammation in Korean women, and this study suggests that the interaction between the identification of genetic predisposition and dietary seaweed intake may have an impact on determining the risk of developing hyperinflammation in the future.