Grant: Project Grant

Cardiovascular and Metabolic diseases (CMD) are leading causes of morbidity and mortality. There is increasing recognition among researchers, healthcare professionals and consumers that the one-size-fits-all, population-based model of nutritional guidance for health promotion is inefficient and sometimes ineffective. Recent advances in precision nutrition have shown that some individuals benefit more by following a particular dietary recommendation than others, based on their genetic makeup. Most studies, however, have measured associations at one-point in time, and the robustness of these gene-diet effects on risk of CMD over time have not been established, which remains a critical knowledge gap. Moreover, most previous studies have focussed on Caucasian populations and the impact of genetic modifiers of dietary intake in ethnically diverse populations remains to be confirmed. Leveraging a multi-ethnic cohort of over 1,600 young adults recruited 20 years ago, this study aims to assess whether previously identified gene-diet interactions influencing risk of CMD in young adults, persist across two decades, measured in the same individuals. The goal of the proposed research is to advance our understanding of how genetic variants modify the response to diet on traditional and emerging biomarkers of CMD across two distinct life stages, from young adulthood to middle age. The results from this research will be used towards validating the utility of genetic testing for precision nutrition, and provide the standards of evidence required for the widespread adoption of these tests to benefit the health of diverse populations.