New Gene Variants Associated with Heart Disease Risk Identified

Whether the public is ready or not, big leaps are happening in the field of nutrigenomics. In a paper published in Nature Genetics, scientists have identified 11 new gene variants (in addition to 19 other previously reported) associated with three blood lipids measured to determine cardiovascular disease risk: low-density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol, high-density lipoprotein (HDL) and triglycerides.

These results indicate that a person may have any combination of these genes which can result to dyslipidemia, i.e., a combo of high LDL and triglyceride levels and extremely low HDL-cholesterol which is linked to cardiovascular disease risks. A personalized dietary plan drafted according to the gene variants an individual has become one step closer to reality.

“With this new knowledge, we are closer to identifying precise dietary recommendations for people at risk for cardiovascular disease. For instance, carriers of a certain variant gene could
reduce their risk of disease with a low-cholesterol diet, carriers of another variant gene
may benefit from the Mediterranean diet, while a high-fiber diet may be the healthiest
option for carriers of yet another variant gene.”

Source: Tufts University Photo Credit: svilen001