Approved Research

Dietary lipids, genetic variants, and risks of cardiometabolic diseases in the UK Biobank study

Lay summary

Cardiometabolic diseases, including type 2 diabetes and cardiovascular diseases, are among the leading causes for premature death in the industrialized countries. Despite extensive investigations into the physiological effects of dietary lipids (e.g. fatty acids and cholesterol) in the past decades, there have still been long-standing disputes concerning their involvements in the development of cardiometabolic diseases. Previous studies have identified that dietary lipids and genetic predisposition might contribute jointly to the onset of cardiometabolic disease. Moreover, genetic variants in lipid metabolism pathways could also substantially modify the relations between dietary lipids and cardiometabolic diseases.

Therefore, in the present study, we aim to: 1) investigate the associations between dietary lipids and the risks of cardiometabolic diseases in the UK Biobank participants; 2) explore whether common and rare genetic variants in lipid metabolism pathways could interact with dietary lipids in relation to the risks of cardiometabolic diseases. The present study will better our understanding about the relationships between dietary lipids, genetic variants, and the risks of major cardiometabolic diseases. The findings will further lay the foundation for establishing personalized nutrition guidelines for lipid intake based on individual genetic background. The estimated duration of present study is 36 months.