Polymorphisms of inflammatory genes and the metabolic syndrome and its phenotypes: can dietary fatty acids modulate the risks?

The metabolic syndrome (MetS) is a common multi-component disorder resulting from genetic and environmental components (1) . Lowgrade inflammation also plays a role in the pathogenesis of the MetS and polymorphisms of several pro-inflammatory genes have been associated with type 2 diabetes and other phenotypes of the MetS (2) . Dietary fat is an important environmental factor that can modify the risk of the MetS (3) . However, limited data exist that indicate that an individual's genetic background interacts with their dietary fat exposure, affecting their risk of the MetS. The aim of the LIPGENE prospective case-control study was to examine the interaction between polymorphisms implicated in the pathogenesis of the MetS with biomarkers of habitual dietary fat composition. The LIPGENE cohort consists of 1754 matched case and control subjects. Plasma fatty acid composition (14: 0-22: 6n-3) was determined as a biomarker of habitual dietary fat intake.