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Learning one’s genetic risk changes physiology independent of actual genetic risk
Open accessAbstract
Millions of people now access personal genetic risk estimates for diseases such as Alzheimer's, cancer and obesity 1. While this information can be informative 2-4, research on placebo and nocebo effects 5-8 suggests that learning of one's genetic risk may evoke physiological changes consistent with the expected risk profile. Here we tested whether merely learning of one's genetic risk for disease alters one's actual risk by making people more likely to exhibit the expected changes in gene-related physiology, behaviour and subjective experience. Individuals were genotyped for actual genetic risk and then randomly assigned to receive either a 'high-risk' or 'protected' genetic test result for obesity via cardiorespiratory exercise capacity (experiment 1, N = 116) or physiological satiety (experiment 2, N = 107) before engaging in a task in which genetic risk was salient. Merely receiving genetic risk information changed individuals' cardiorespiratory physiology, perceived exertion and running endurance during exercise, and changed satiety physiology and perceived fullness after food consumption in a self-fulfilling manner. Effects of perceived genetic risk on outcomes were sometimes greater than the effects associated with actual genetic risk. If simply conveying genetic risk information can alter actual risk, clinicians and ethicists should wrestle with appropriate thresholds for when revealing genetic risk is warranted.
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“Some of the effects relevant here might also arise from natural scientific generalizations (for example, that endocrine disrupters cause infertility).However, the underlying social psychological processes are likely to be distinct; see also(Turnwald et al. [2019]).”
From Science Communication and the Problematic Impact of Descriptive Norms (2023) · cites this paper as Turnwald et al. [2019]
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“Moreover, these effects don't necessarily take much time to unfold but can happen swiftly in a single interaction (e.g., in interview settings; Word et al. 1974) right after the ascription (Turnwald et al. 2018: 49).”
From What Is the Function of Confirmation Bias? (2022) · cites this paper as Turnwald et al. 2018
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Cites
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Responsible use of polygenic risk scores in the clinic: potential benefits, risks and gaps
Polygenic Risk Score Task Force of the International Common Disease Alliance, Adeyemo, A., Balaconis, M. K., Darnes, D. R., Fatumo, S., Granados Moreno, P., Hodonsky, C. J., Inouye, M., Kanai, M., Kato, K., et al. (2021) · Nature Medicine · doi:10.1038/s41591-021-01549-6 · Cited by 413
The self in context: brain systems linking mental and physical health
Koban, L., Gianaros, P. J., Hedy Kober, A., & Wager, T. D. (2021) · Nature reviews. Neuroscience · doi:10.1038/s41583-021-00446-8 · Cited by 258
What Is the Function of Confirmation Bias?
Peters, U. (2022) · Erkenntnis · doi:10.1007/s10670-020-00252-1 · Cited by 236
Widén, E., Junna, N., Ruotsalainen, S., Surakka, I. L., Mars, N., Ripatti, P., Partanen, J., Aro, J., Mustonen, P., Tuomi, T., et al. (2022) · Circulation Genomic and Precision Medicine · doi:10.1161/circgen.121.003459 · Cited by 147
Implementation and implications for polygenic risk scores in healthcare
Slunecka, J. L., van der Zee, M. D., Beck, J. J., Johnson, B. N., Finnicum, C. T., Pool, R., Hottenga, J., de Geus, E. J. C., & Ehli, E. A. (2021) · Human Genomics · doi:10.1186/s40246-021-00339-y · Cited by 120
Metadata
- Authors
- Turnwald, B. P., Goyer, J. P., Boles, D. Z., Silder, A., Delp, S. L., & Crum, A. J.
- Affiliations
- Stanford University (US)
- Corresponding author
- Turnwald, Bradley P.
- Venue
- Nature Human Behaviour
- Published
- 2018-12-10
- Volume
- 3
- Issue
- 1
- Pages
- 48-56
- ISSN
- 2397-3374 (ISSN-L)
- PMC
- PMC6874306
- OpenAlex
- W2903243478
- Cited by
- 142
- References
- 63
- Citations by year
- 2026: 3 · 2025: 9 · 2024: 10 · 2023: 15 · 2022: 37 · 2021: 13 · 2020: 39 · 2019: 15 · 2018: 1
- FWCI
- 10.26
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- green
- www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov
- Licence
- Locations
- Nature Human Behaviour (publishedVersion)
- PubMed (publishedVersion)
- PubMed Central (acceptedVersion)
- RePEc: Research Papers in Economics (submittedVersion)
- Funders
- National Science Foundation
- National Institute of Biomedical Imaging and Bioengineering (U54EB020405)
- National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health (DP2AT009511)
- Topics
- Life Sciences › Biochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology › Genetics › Genetics and Physical Performance
- Life Sciences › Biochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology › Genetics › Genetic Associations and Epidemiology
- Life Sciences › Biochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology › Genetics › Nutrition, Genetics, and Disease
- Keywords
- genetic risk disclosure, self-fulfilling prophecy, placebo effect, nocebo effect, perceived exertion, running endurance, satiety, genetic testing
- MeSH terms
- Alpha-Ketoglutarate-Dependent Dioxygenase FTO, Cardiorespiratory Fitness, Adult, Exercise Test, Physical Exertion, Female, Genetic Testing, Humans, Male, Obesity, Risk, Exercise Tolerance, Cyclic AMP Response Element-Binding Protein, Genetic Predisposition to Disease, Young Adult
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