Study finds dietary fat interacts with genes

Ordovas concludes that, “The problems of obesity are complex and there is variability among people. This study contributes to our knowledge of how APOA5 works and adds to our understanding of genetics and dietary interventions.”

In 2006, Ordovas received a USDA Secretary’s Annual Honor Award for his significant contributions to the field of nutrigenomics. The award is the most prestigious given by the USDA. For more information on Ordovas’ work at the USDA HNRCA, please see “Genes and Diet Linked to Risk Factors for Heart Disease” in the September/October 2006 issue of Friedman Nutrition Notes. [http://nutrition.tufts.edu/news/notes/2006-09.html].

This work was supported by the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute of the National Institutes of Health; the USDA Agricultural Research Service; and by grants from the American Heart Association, the Ministerio de Educacion y Ciencia (Spain), and the Ministerio de Sanidad y Consumo (Spain).

Corella D, Lai C-Q, Demissie S, Cupples LA, Manning AK, Tucker KL, Ordovas JM. Journal of Molecular Medicine. 2007 (February);85(2):119-128. “APOA5 gene variation modulates the effects of dietary fat intake on body mass index and obesity risk in the Framingham Heart Study.”

If you are a member of the media interested in learning more about this topic, or speaking with a faculty member at the Friedman School of Nutrition Science and Policy at Tufts University, or another Tufts health sciences researcher, please contact Siobhan Gallagher at 617-636-6586, or Christine Fennelly at 617-636-3707.

The Gerald J. and Dorothy R. Friedman School of Nutrition Science and Policy at Tufts University is the only independent school of nutrition in the United States. The school’s eight centers, which focus on questions relating to famine, hunger, poverty, and communications, are renowned for the application of scientific research to national and international policy. For two decades, the Jean Mayer USDA Human Nutrition Research Center on Aging at Tufts University has studied the relationship between good nutrition and good health in aging populations. Tufts research scientists work with federal agencies to establish the USDA Dietary Guidelines, the Dietary Reference Intakes, and other significant public policies.