Variants in the cholesterol ester transfer protein and lipoprotein lipase genes are predictors of plasma cholesterol response to dietary change

There are no definitive explanations as to why individuals with hypercholesterolemia, a major cardiovascular risk factor, respond differently to dietary change. Fifty five free-living individuals completed a double crossover trial with two dietary regimens, a high saturated fat diet (providing 21% energy from saturated fat and 3% energy from polyunsaturated fat) and a high polyunsaturated fat diet (providing 11% energy as saturated fat and 10% energy as polyunsaturated fat), each phase continuing for 4 weeks. Extensive genotyping and several measures of dietary compliance have provided further insights regarding the determinants of extent of cholesterol response to changes in the nature of dietary fat. Individuals with the CETP B1B1 genotype and the LPL X447+ allele showed an average 0.44 (95% CI: 0.22, 0.66) and 0.45 (95% CI: 0.18, 0.72) mmol/l greater change in total cholesterol, respectively, than those with one or more CETP B2 allele or homozygous for the LPL S447 allele when comparing diets high and low in saturated fat. Indices of dietary compliance including changes in reported saturated and polyunsaturated fat intake and change in triglyceride linoleate were not significantly different between the CETP genotypes. Change in reported saturated (r=0.36, P=0.04) and polyunsaturated (r=0.22, P=0.05) fat intake and change in triglyceride linoleate (reflecting polyunsaturated fat intake) (r=0.21, P=0.07), also predicted total cholesterol response to dietary fat changes. In multivariate analyses, variation in the cholesterol ester transfer protein and lipoprotein lipase genes predicted response independent of measures of dietary compliance, suggesting that these two genes are important determinants of variation in cholesterol response to dietary change in free-living individuals.