Tilleggsstøtte for deltagelse i EU-prosjektet LIPGENE

The primary focus of LIPGENE is the interaction of nutrients and genotype in the metabolic syndrome. This disorder is associated with overweight and obesity and is characterized by dyslipidaemia, insulin resistance and hypertension. With access to a large prospective cohort followed biannually for 7 years and with hard clinical and nutritional data, a unique opportunity exists to determine diet-gene interaction in the development of the metabolic syndrome. To ascertain the responsiveness to dietary fat mo dification, a large multi-center dietary intervention study will examine how diets varying in both fat content and composition influence insulin sensitivity and other aspects of the metabolic syndrome. Parallel studies with adipocyte, endothelial and musc le cells will investigate the molecular mechanisms whereby individual dietary fatty acids influence aspects of cell metabolism related to the metabolic syndrome. A key aim of the animal nutrition component is to improve the fat composition of milk and mea t products. The objective of the plant biotechnology section is to enhance and optimize the levels of n-3 LC-PUFAs in vegetable oil. These studies will be accompanied by a detailed economic analysis of the health costs of the metabolic syndrome across th e EU and the implications of individual drug versus population nutrition intervention. Our contribution in LIPGENE is twofold: (1) mechanistic and functional studies on fatty acid uptake and esterification, mitochondrial function and oxidation, gene exp ression and signalling pathways related to glucose and lipid metabolism. Such studies will be performed in cells and animal models. (2) Evaluation of the cellular energy status in a subgroup of patients given different diets. Mitochondrial function will b e assessed in patient biopsies by high–resolution respirometry, and the expression of genes related to energy metabolism will be monitored.