“The discovery of this mutation may eventually help us to develop new therapies to lower triglycerides and prevent cardiovascular disease”
A gene mutation which protects the heart against a high-fat diet has been found in the http://www.wvwnews.net/story.php?id=6148 population.
Researchers found 5% of the US Amish population in Lancaster, http://www.wvwnews.net/story.php?id=3103 have a mutation in a protein which breaks down fatty particles.
Those with the mutation had higher levels of “good” HDL-cholesterol and lower levels of “bad” LDL-cholesterol, the journal Science reported.
It is hoped the finding will lead to new therapies to reduce cholesterol.
The researchers used blood samples from 800 volunteers in the Old Order Amish community to look for DNA markers that might be associated with levels of http://www.wvwnews.net/story.php?id=5907 called triglycerides in the blood stream.
High blood levels of triglycerides, one of the most common types of fat in food, have been linked to heart disease.
They found a mutation in the APOC3 gene, which encodes a protein – apoC-III – that inhibits the breakdown of triglycerides.As part of the study, participants drank a high-fat milkshake and were monitored for the next six hours.
Individuals with the mutation produced half the normal amount of apoC-III and had the lowest blood triglyceride levels – seemingly because they could break down more fat.
They also had relatively low levels of artery-hardening – a sign of cardiovascular disease.
Dr Toni Pollin, assistant professor of medicine at the University of Maryland School of Medicine, said: “Our findings suggest that having a lifelong deficiency of apoC-III helps to protect people from developing cardiovascular disease.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/health/7778364.stm