The impact of dairy consumption on circulating cholesterol levels is modulated by common single nucleotide polymorphisms in cholesterol synthesis‐ and transport‐related genes (1038.4)

Abstract

Dairy consumption impacts circulating cholesterol levels, a traditional risk marker for cardiovascular health, however, whether genetics play a role in response to dairy has not been established. Our objective was to evaluate 24 candidate SNPs within 13 cholesterol synthesis‐ and transport‐associated genes in relation to the cholesterol metabolism response to an intake of conventional and commonly‐consumed dairy products in Canada. Normolipidemic adults (n=101) consumed 3 servings/d of dairy (1% fat milk, 1.5% fat yogurt, and 34% fat cheese) or energy‐matched control products for 28 d using a multicentre, randomized, free‐living, crossover design. Relative to the control diet, dairy intake was associated with an increase in plasma levels of total cholesterol (TC) and LDL‐C only in carriers of the cholesterol transport gene ABCG5 SNP rs6720173‐G/G (4.86±0.20 vs. 5.05±0.20 mmol/L, n=72, p=0.008) and (2.86±0.14 vs. 3.03±0.14 mmol/L, p=0.002), cholesterol synthesis gene SREBF2 SNP rs2228314‐G/G (4.98±0.16 vs. 5.21±0.16 mmol/L, n=50, p=0.02) and (3.06±0.15 vs. 3.24±0.15 mmol/L, p=0.03), and bile acid synthesis gene CYP7A1 SNP rs3808607‐G/T (5.00±0.16 vs. 5.21±0.16 mmol/L, n=53, p=0.04) and (2.93±0.14 vs. 3.11±0.14 mmol/L, p=0.01) genotypes, respectively. These findings accordingly suggest the existence of a gene‐diet interaction modulating the impact of dairy intake on circulating cholesterol levels.Grant Funding Source: Supported by Dairy Farmers of Canada (DFC) and Agriculture and Agri‐Food Canada (AAFC)