There is now proof for what we have suspected all along: What you eat will determine your quality of life. A new study that was conducted by Chennai-based Madras Diabetes Specialties Centre and the University of Reading, U.K., has found a link between quality of diet and the Asian Indian predisposition to high cholesterol. High and uncontrolled cholesterol levels are associated with a high cardiovascular disease profile.

The study, Low diet quality increases the genetic risk of high blood cholesterol levels in Asian Indian adults [CURES–165], was published last week in the international peer-reviewed journal PLOS ONE, and are considered to advance the understanding of how diet and genetic factors interact to influence cholesterol levels.

The researchers analysed data from 1,020 adults (25–80 years), comprising 452 men and 568 women, who participated in the Chennai Urban Rural Epidemiology Study (CURES). The study examined three genetic variants of two genes :TCF7L2 and FTO, with a known association with diabetes and other metabolic disorders.

Researchers found that a poor quality diet amplified the genetic susceptibility to high cholesterol. Study participants who already had a higher genetic risk and who consumed a poor-quality diet had significantly higher total cholesterol and LDL cholesterol levels. Conversely, researchers proved that among participants consuming medium- or high-quality diets, there were no significant differences in cholesterol levels between the high- and low-genetic-risk groups were not observed. Individuals with higher genetic risk had significantly higher fasting blood glucose and HbA1c levels.

Among the key messages is that genetic susceptibility alone does not necessarily translate into adverse cholesterol levels under all dietary conditions. Naturally, these findings support the role of sticking to healthy diets to counter cardiometabolic risk. This is particularly significant in India, witnessing a literal explosion of cases of diabetes, rising cholesterol levels and cardiovascular disease. Researchers said there could be a role for precision nutrition, The findings also open up new possibilities for precision nutrition, where dietary advice is tailored to an individual’s genetic and metabolic characteristics.

Commenting on the results of the study, V. Mohan, Chairman, Madras Diabetes Research Foundation, who was also a co-author of the study, said the key message is that our genes alone “need not determine an individual’s metabolic destiny.” With adjusting of the diet, it is possible to lower the risk, even when the genetic load is present.