Physical activity alters effects of various HDL-modifying genes

Source

1. Ahmad T, Chasman DI, Buring JE, et al. Physical activity modifies the effect of LPL, LIPC, and CETP polymorphisms on HDL-C levels and the risk of myocardial infarction in women of European ancestry. Circ Cardiovasc Genet 2011; 4: 74-80. 

MARCH 3, 2011 | Michael O'Riordan

Boston, MA - Common genetic variants that are linked with HDL-cholesterol levels are modified by physical-activity levels, according to the results of a new study [1]. The effects of common variations in the hepatic lipase (LIPC) and cholesteryl ester-transfer protein (CETP) genes on HDL-cholesterol levels were larger among active women, whereas the opposite was observed for a common variant in the lipoprotein lipase (LPL) gene, with the effects on HDL-cholesterol largest among less active women, report investigators.

"In the clinic, if somebody has low HDL-cholesterol levels, the first thing I tell them is to get out and exercise," senior investigator Dr Brendan Everett (Brigham and Women's Hospital, Boston, MA) toldheartwire. "Exercising really has an important impact, generally speaking, on HDL cholesterol. Recently, too, there are new genetic loci identified that affect HDL-cholesterol levels. The question is, how do these two factors work together, or work against one another, to alter HDL-cholesterol levels?"

Lead investigator Dr Tariq Ahmad (Duke University Medical Center, Durham, NC) suggested the results might partly explain why some patients have larger increases in HDL-cholesterol levels in response to exercise compared with others who might not receive quite the same bump. "Some patients show large increases in HDL cholesterol with exercise, while others show no increase at all," Ahmad commented toheartwire. "Our findings suggest that some of this variability is related to the way exercise interacts with genes known to affect HDL-cholesterol levels."/.../