Nutrigenetics of cholesterol metabolism: observational and dietary intervention studies in the postgenomic era

Cholesterol metabolism is a well-defined responder to dietary intakes and a classic biomarker of cardiovascular health. For this reason, circulating cholesterol levels have become key in shaping nutritional recommendations by health authorities worldwide for better management of cardiovascular disease, a leading cause of mortality and one of the most costly health problems globally. Data from observational and dietary intervention studies, however, highlight a marked between-individual variability in the response of cholesterol metabolism to similar dietary protocols, a phenomenon linked to genetic heterogeneity. This review summarizes the postgenomic evidence of polymorphisms within cholesterol-associated genes relative to fasting circulating cholesterol levels under diverse nutritional conditions. A number of cholesterol-related gene-diet interactions are confirmed, which may have clinical importance, supporting a deeper look into the rapidly emerging field of nutrigenetics for meaningful conclusions that may eventually lead to genetically targeted dietary recommendations in the era of personalized nutrition.