Project 174028

Background: Cardiovascular disease (CVD) risk is the result of complex interactions between genetic and environmental factors. Nutrition is the most important environmental factor interacting with genes to increase or to decrease the likelihood of developing lipid disorders. The effect of dietary changes on lipid levels differs between individuals. Some individuals appear to be unreactive to dietary intervention, whereas others have enhanced response. For that reason, recent research suggests that genetic variations of the gene encoding the peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor alpha (PPAR-alpha) may modulate the CVD risk profile. Omega-3 fatty acids, found mostly in fish oils, link and stimulate PPAR-alpha gene which can then improve the lipids levels. It is not known whether the variation of PPAR-alpha gene could influence the blood lipid response or the expression of genes in the presence of omega-3 fatty acids. Objective: To investigate the gene-diet interaction effects between the variation of the PPAR-alpha gene and omega-3 fatty acids on CVD risk factors. The specific objectives of the research are: Aim 1: To examine whether omega-3 fatty acids induced changes in blood lipids are influenced by the PPAR-alpha gene variation. Aim 2: To verify, in a cell model, whether the expression of various genes in the presence of omega-3 fatty acids are influenced by the variation of PPAR-alpha gene. Significance: It is known that individuals will display high variability in the response to different diets; therefore, nutrition therapy would be more helpful if recommendations are based on genetic facts. This research will demonstrate if a gene-diet interaction effect exists between PPAR-alpha gene and omega-3 fatty acids. Therefore, allow us to be able to suggest supplementation with omega-3 fatty acids for the individuals the most at risk for CVD.