Author
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ORDOVAS, JOSE - TUFTS-HNRCA |
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Submitted to: Proceedings of the Nutrition Society
Publication Type: Review Article Publication Acceptance Date: 10/1/2003 Publication Date: 2/1/2004 Citation: Ordovas, J.M. 2004. The quest for cardiovascular health in the genetic era: nutrigenetics and plasma lipoproteins. Proceedings Of The Nutrition Society. 63:145-152. Interpretive Summary: Technical Abstract: Nutrigenetics and nutrigenomics are promising multidisciplinary fields that focus on studying the interactions between nutritional, genetic factors, and health outcomes. Their goal is to achieve more efficient individual dietary intervention strategies aimed at preventing disease, improving quality of life and achieving healthy aging. Our studies, have found evidence for interactions between dietary factors, genetic variants and biochemical markers of cardiovascular disease. Now, we can begin to characterize individuals who may respond better to one type of dietary recommendation or another. Thus, a low fat/cholesterol strategy may be especially efficacious to lower plasma cholesterol levels on those subjects carrying the apoE4 allele at the APOE gene. HDL-C levels are modulated also by dietary, behavioral and genetic factors. We have reported that the effect of polyunsaturated (PUFA) fat intake on HDL-C concentrations is modulated by an APOA1 genetic polymorphism. Thus, subjects carrying the A allele at the -75 G/A polymorphism show an increase on HDL-C with increased intakes of PUFA; whereas those homozygotes for the more common G allele have the expected lowering on HDL-C levels with increased intake of PUFA. Variability at the hepatic lipase gene also shows significant interactions between intake of fat and HDL-C concentrations that could shed some light to the different ability of certain ethnic groups to adapt to new nutritional environments. This knowledge should bring most successful dietary recommendations partly based on genetic factors that may help to reduce cardiovascular risk more efficiently than the current universal recommendations. |
