Common genetic variations involved in the inter-individual variability of circulating cholesterol concentrations in response to diets: a narrative review of evidence

Authors: ABDULLAH, MOHAMMAND - Kuwait University; VAZQUEZ-VIDAL, ITZEL - University Of Manitoba; Baer, David; HOUSE, JAMES - University Of Manitoba; JONES, PETER - University Of Manitoba; DESMARCHELIER, CHARLES - Aix-Marseille University

Submitted to: Nutrients
Publication Type: Review Article
Publication Acceptance Date: 2/12/2021
Publication Date: 2/22/2021
Citation: Abdullah, M.M., Vazquez-Vidal, I., Baer, D.J., House, J.D., Jones, P.J., Desmarchelier, C. 2021. Common genetic variations involved in the inter-individual variability of circulating cholesterol concentrations in response to diets: a narrative review of evidence. Nutrients. 13:695-710. https://doi.org/10.3390/nu13020695.
DOI: https://doi.org/10.3390/nu13020695

Interpretive Summary: Personalized nutrition is the next frontier for food and health industries. Presently, consumers report high expectations for the role proper genetic information could play in their dietary choices for prevention and treatment of chronic diseases. This review summarizes recent findings of interactions between individual single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in major cholesterol-related genes and dietary intakes relative to shaping circulating cholesterol concentrations. We identified studies that reported significant SNP×diet interactions in 14 cholesterol-related genes that replicated associations observed in previous studies. Some studies have also shown combinations of SNPs that could explain a higher proportion of variability in response to dietary interventions. Although some findings still need replication, including in larger and more diverse study populations, there is good evidence that some SNPs are consistently associated with differing circulating cholesterol concentrations in response to dietary interventions. Future research, including multi-site intervention trials, should be designed to explore combinatory patterns of genetic variability in order to better understand the impact of gene-diet interactions on serum lipid profiles. As an additional tool to advance the field, the availability of artificial intelligence (AI) and machine-learning approaches to identify panels of SNPs that in combination could better predict an individual’s lipid response to dietary interventions offer tremendous potential. These results could help clinicians provide patients with more personalized dietary recommendations in order to lower their risk for heart disease.

Technical Abstract: The number of nutrigenetic studies dedicated to the identification of single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) modulating blood lipid profiles in response to dietary interventions has increased considerably over the last decade. However, the robustness of the evidence-based science supporting the area remains to be evaluated. The objective of this review was to present recent findings concerning the effects of interactions between SNPs in genes involved in cholesterol metabolism and transport, and dietary intakes or interventions on circulating cholesterol concentrations, which are causally involved in cardiovascular diseases and established biomarkers of cardiovascular health. We identified recent studies (2014–2020) that reported significant SNP–diet interactions in 14 cholesterol-related genes (NPC1L1, ABCA1, ABCG5, ABCG8, APOA1, APOA2, APOA5, APOB, APOE, CETP, CYP7A1, DHCR7, LPL, and LIPC), and which replicated associations observed in previous studies. Some studies have also shown that combinations of SNPs could explain a higher proportion of variability in response to dietary interventions. Although some findings still need replication, including in larger and more diverse study populations, there is good evidence that some SNPs are consistently associated with differing circulating cholesterol concentrations in response to dietary interventions. These results could help clinicians provide patients with more personalized dietary recommendations, in order to lower their risk for cardiovascular disease.