Grant: Operating Grant - PA: Inst of Nutrition, Metabolism and Diabetes -Bridge Funding

Heart disease is the number one cause of death in the Western societies. Increased blood levels of lipids (triglycerides and cholesterol) increase the risk of heart disease. With the increased risk of heart disease, nutritional therapy is becoming very popular. Studies show that consumption of fish and fish oils reduce the risk of heart disease. Thus, much of the attention and emphasis in dietary advice for the prevention of heart disease has focused on increasing the intake of fish and fish oil supplements. The beneficial effects of fish oil are due to the presence of omega-3 fatty acids, which lower blood triglyceride levels. However, the effect of fish oil on blood cholesterol levels is controversial. Moreover, the importance of fish oil therapy in population with diverse genetic background is not known. It is also not known whether other marine oils that are rich sources of omega-3 fatty acids have similar effects on the regulation of lipid metabolism when compared to fish oil. We will investigate the pathways by which fish oil and other marine oils regulate blood triglyceride and cholesterol levels. We will further investigate whether polymorphisms in specific genes play an important role in mediating the effects of marine oils to regulate lipid metabolism. Findings from this project will help in designing therapeutic strategies using diet for a population with diverse genetic background.