Grant: Operating Grant

Lowering serum cholesterol levels plays an important role in prevention of cardiovascular disease. Dietary functional food ingredients plant sterols and plant stanols, have been shown almost unequivocally to safely lower serum cholesterol levels in different studies and meta-analyses over the past two decades. However, in recent years it has been established that considerable differences exist among individuals in their responsiveness of circulating low density lipoprotein-cholesterol (LDL-C) to dietary plant sterols, even under strictly controlled feeding conditions. The overarching goal of the present research program is to identify a genetic basis for variations in responsiveness to plant sterol use, and to identify which components of control of cholesterol metabolism associate with the genetic factors identified. The long term goal is to set up screening tests to distinguish between individuals who will and will not respond to plant sterols as functional food ingredients. It is anticipated that results of the present investigations will result in an improvement in our understanding of the heterogeneity of response of lipid levels to plant sterol consumption. The present research is anticipated to result in identification of genetic traits which will predict which individuals do, and do not, respond to plant sterols, which has important relevance to the health and wellness of Canadians.