Article Impact Level: HIGH Data Quality: STRONG Summary of The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, S0002916524006051. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ajcnut.2024.07.009 Dr. Yitang Sun et al.
Points
- The study analyzed data from 441,985 UK Biobank participants to investigate the impact of fish oil supplementation on lipid levels influenced by genetic predispositions to dyslipidemia.
- Fish oil supplementation reduced the genetic associations with total cholesterol, LDL cholesterol, and triglycerides while enhancing the association with HDL cholesterol.
- Among participants of European ancestry, fish oil users had a smaller increase in triglycerides associated with polygenic scores (PGS) compared to non-users, indicating an attenuation effect.
- This attenuation effect of fish oil on triglycerides was also observed in participants of African ancestry, suggesting benefits across different populations.
- The findings highlight the potential of fish oil supplementation as a nutritional intervention to moderate genetic risks associated with lipid profiles, supporting personalized dietary recommendations based on genetic profiles.
Summary
In a comprehensive study utilizing data from the UK Biobank, researchers explored the effects of fish oil supplementation on the relationship between genetic predispositions to dyslipidemia and observed lipid concentrations. The study involved 441,985 participants with detailed genetic and phenotypic data, focusing on the influence of fish oil on the associations between polygenic scores (PGS) for total cholesterol, low-density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol, high-density lipoprotein (HDL) cholesterol, and triglycerides. Multivariable linear regression models adjusted for various covariates were employed to analyze how fish oil supplementation might modify these genetic associations.
The findings revealed that fish oil supplementation mitigated the associations between genetically predicted and observed total cholesterol, LDL cholesterol, and triglycerides levels. Conversely, it enhanced the association for HDL cholesterol, particularly among participants of European ancestry. Specifically, for triglycerides, each standard deviation increase in PGS among European-ancestry participants who used fish oil correlated with a 0.254 SD increase in observed triglyceride concentrations (95% CI: 0.248, 0.259), a minor increase compared to the 0.267 SD increase observed in non-users (95% CI: 0.263, 0.270). This attenuation effect was also significant in African- ancestry participants, suggesting a consistent benefit across different populations.
These results indicate that fish oil supplementation could be crucial in moderating genetic predispositions’ impact on lipid profiles, mainly by reducing the genetic risk associated with undesirable lipid levels and enhancing the genetic propensity for favorable HDL cholesterol levels. The study underscores the potential of nutritional interventions like fish oil in personalized dietary recommendations based on genetic profiles. However, further research is needed to fully understand the clinical implications and optimize dietary guidelines for individuals with specific genetic risks for cardiovascular diseases.
Link to the article: https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0002916524006051
References Sun, Y., McDonald, T., Baur, A., Xu, H., Bateman, N. B., Shen, Y., Li, C., & Ye, K. (2024). Fish oil supplementation modifies the associations between genetically predicted and observed concentrations of blood lipids: A cross-sectional gene-diet interaction study in UK Biobank. The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, S0002916524006051. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ajcnut.2024.07.009
