Evidence map›Paper›PMID 42568464›Full record

ArticleFrontiers in nutrition2026

Explainable machine learning reveals the role of taste-related genetic variants in body mass index: a nutrigenetic perspective.

Gulsen Meral, Neval Burkay, Ahmet Avci, Merve Ozkaya, Bader Beyler, Esma Gokcen Alper Acar, Ruya Atesli, Rabia Eser, Muhammed Yunus Alp, Berna Uslu Coskun

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Article in Frontiers in nutrition, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Not yet cited in PubMed.

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1 · What the graph read from it

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2 · The registry

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3 · Its place in the literature

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4 · The record

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5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

10 authors.

Gulsen MeralEpigenetic Coaching, London, United Kingdom.
Neval BurkayEpigenetic Coaching, London, United Kingdom.
Ahmet AvciDepartment of Biostatistics, Cerrahpaşa Faculty of Medicine, Istanbul University, Istanbul, Türkiye.
Merve OzkayaEpigenetic Coaching, London, United Kingdom.
Bader BeylerDepartment of Molecular Medicine, Institute of Health Sciences, TOBB Economics and Technology University, Ankara, Türkiye.
Esma Gokcen Alper AcarEpigenetic Coaching, London, United Kingdom.
Ruya AtesliDepartment of Pediatrics, Acibadem Kent Hospital, Izmir, Türkiye.
Rabia EserGETAT Unit, Pediatric Health and Diseases Clinic, Aydin, Türkiye.
Muhammed Yunus AlpGenoks Genetic Diagnosis Center, Ankara, Türkiye.
Berna Uslu CoskunProfessor of Otorhinolaryngology (ENT), Istanbul, Türkiye.

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

Background: Taste perception-related genetic variants may influence dietary behavior and energy balance; however, their relationship with body mass index (BMI) remains unclear. This study aimed to investigate the association between taste-related genetic variants and BMI using both statistical analysis and an explainable machine learning approach. Methods: This retrospective observational study included 200 individuals aged 5-60 years with available genotype and BMI data. Variants in TAS2R38, TAS1R2, TAS1R3, and FGF21 were analyzed. Associations with BMI categories were evaluated using chi-square tests. A Random Forest classification model was developed, and SHAP (SHapley Additive exPlanations) values were used to quantify the contribution of each variant and explore allele-dose effects. Results: No significant associations were found between genetic variants and BMI categories in adults ( Conclusion: Taste-related genetic variants did not demonstrate independent associations with BMI classification in the present study. However, explainable machine learning approaches identified heterogeneous model contributions across genetic variants, suggesting potential differences in genotype-related patterns within a multifactorial framework. These findings may contribute to future research exploring gene-phenotype relationships and precision nutrition approaches.

Indexed as

body mass indexFGF21obesityshapTAS1R2TAS1R3TAS2R38

Identifiers

PMID42568464
PMCPMC13447141

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Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the Socratic graph.