Catherine Graham

• Doctor of Philosophy in Personalised Nutrition and Sensory Science
• PostDoc Position at Lake Lucerne Institute

Background/Objectives: The TAS1R2 SNP rs35874116 has previously been associated with sweet taste, diet, and health status, although never comprehensively in a single study. Also, associations between TAS1R2 and sweet taste might be body mass index (BMI)-dependent. Therefore, this study aimed to conduct a comprehensive investigation of rs35874116 an...

Objective: This study aimed to assess and comparatively analyse two menus from a Young Offenders Institution (YOI). One menu from 2019, and one from 2022, with the objective of identifying any improvements in meeting dietary guidelines. Design: Cross-sectional and comparative analysis. Setting: United Kingdom, a YOI in Northern England. Participant...

Adequate nutrition is necessary for overall health and development ⁽¹⁾ . Prisoners in general lack autonomy over their diet, in addition to being a population with a high risk of poor health outcomes (2, 3) . It is important therefore that prisons are offered menus which meet dietary reference values (DRVs), as set by the UK government, aiming for...

Prisoners experience a higher burden of poor health, aggressive behaviours and worsening mental health than the general population. This systematic review aimed to identify research that used nutrition-based interventions in prisons, focusing on outcomes of mental health and behaviours. The systematic review was registered with PROSPERO on the 26th...

Unsaturated fatty acids (FAs) can influence various aspects of human biology (e.g., the immune system), and an excess of saturated fatty acids is associated with non-communicable diseases. The orosensory perception of FAs has been demonstrated and debated as a possible sixth taste. The Cluster of Differentiation 36 (CD36) gene codes for a membrane...

Background: Sweet taste is partly modified by genetics. The rs35874116 single-nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) in taste receptor type 1 member 2 (TAS1R2) reduces the availability of a G protein-coupled receptor (GPCR), which binds to ‘sweet’ molecules. This might alter sweet taste perception, diet choices, and health outcomes. However, these findings,...

Background: Type 2 diabetes is a chronic disease that has severe individual and societal consequences, which is forecast to worsen in the future. A new field of investigation is variations in circadian rhythm genes, in conjunction with diet and sleep variables, associations with, and effects on, type 2 diabetes development. Objective: This syste...

Genetics plays an important role in individual differences in food liking, which influences food choices and health. Sweet food liking is a complex trait and has been associated with increased body mass index (BMI) and related comorbidities. This genome-wide association study (GWAS) aimed to investigate the genetics of sweet food liking using two a...

Context Although the stimulant and anxiogenic properties of caffeine are widely accepted, research on its specific effects on the brain remains controversial. Growing evidence shows that interindividual differences in caffeine response may be partly due to variations in genes such as CYP1A2 and ADORA2A, which have been used to identify individuals...

Context: Despite clear evidence that adherence to dietary and physical activity advice can reduce the risk of cardiometabolic disease, a significant proportion of the population do not follow recommendations. Personalized advice based on genetic variation has been proposed for motivating behavior change, although research on its benefits to date h...

Background: Dietary intake is linked to numerous modifiable risk factors of cardiovascular disease. Current dietary recommendations in the UK to reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease are not being met. A genotype-based personalised approach to dietary recommendations may motivate individuals to make positive changes in their dietary behaviour....

Introduction: Type 2 diabetes (T2D) is a leading cause of global mortality with diet and genetics being considered amongst the most significant risk factors. Recently, studies have identified a single polymorphism of the TCF7L2 gene (rs7903146) as the most important genetic contributor. However, no studies have explored this factor in a healthy po...

Eating disorders (ED), disordered eating (DE) and low energy availability (LEA) can be detrimental to health and performance. Previous studies have independently investigated prevalence of ED, DE or LEA, however few combined methods have identified risk within female athletes. The aim of this study was to identify prevalence of ED, DE and LEA in UK...

A relationship between bitter and fat taste sensitivity, CD36 rs1761667 and TAS2R38 has been demonstrated. However, research is scarce and does not take diet into account. This study aimed to explore associations between genetics, fat and bitter taste sensitivity and dietary fat intake in healthy UK adults. A cross-sectional study was carried out o...

Over the past decade, a potential sixth taste, fat taste (“oleogustus”), has been identified. Studies in adults and children of various ethnicities have demonstrated that both lifestyle and genetic factors may contribute to fat taste sensitivity (FTS). Data on females in the UK is limited. The aim of this study was to determine, using an ethnically...

Introduction Obesity is an international epidemic. Worldwide, 1.9 billion adults are overweight, and 650 million adults are obese. Obesity has many chronic comorbidities, including diabetes and cardiovascular disease. Obesity's cause is positive energy balance involving environmental and biological factors. Genome-Wide Association Studies (GWAS) su...

Objectives Taste perception (sensitivity) may be determined by genetic variations in taste receptors and it affects food intake. Lower fat taste sensitivity is associated with higher dietary fat intake and body mass index (BMI). Recently, associations between bitter and fat taste sensitivity have been reported whereby bitter taste perception may be...

Food liking is one of the main determinants of food intake. Salt taste perception and preference, that play a role in liking of salt, may be genetically determined, although research in humans is scarce. The aim of this study was to explore the associations between genetics, salt taste perception, preference, self-reported salt habit and intake. Th...

Introduction: In the UK, the number of comorbidities seen in children has increased along with the worsening obesity rate. These comorbidities worsen into adulthood. Genome-wide association studies have highlighted single nucleotide polymorphisms associated with the weight status of adults and offspring individually. To date, in the UK, parental g...

Associations Between Genetic Predisposition, Fat Taste and Obesity - Volume 78 Issue OCE1 - C. A-M Graham, J. Pipe, J. Holton, K. Tamba, S. Lorente-Cebrián, P. González-Muniesa, Y. Mavrommatis

The effects of genetic profiling on eating behaviour - Volume 76 Issue OCE4 - C.A-M Graham, L. Pilic, Y. Mavrommatis