Diet, genomics and the metabolic syndrome: An integrated nutrition, agro-food, social and economic analysis (LIPGENE)

Project website 

The focus of this Integrated Project (24 participants) is the interaction between dietary fat composition and genotype in the metabolic syndrome. This disorder is associated with overweight and obesity and is characterised by insulin resistance, dyslipidaemia and hypertension. Access to a large prospective cohort, together with clinical and nutritional data, provides a unique opportunity to determine diet-gene interaction in the development of the metabolic syndrome. A large multi-centre dietary intervention study will examine responsiveness to dietary fat modification, varying in both fat content and composition, influence insulin sensitivity and other aspects of the metabolic syndrome. A key aim of the project is to improve the fat composition of milk and meat products (animal nutrition) and to provide novel sources of fatty acids (plant biotechnology). An economic analysis of the costs associated to the metabolic syndrome will be undertaken, while consumer attitudes will be analysed.