Serum Lipid Concentrations and FADS Genetic Variants in Young Mexican College Students: The UP-AMIGOS Cohort Study.

BACKGROUND: Recent genome-wide association studies in the Mexican population have identified several genetic loci associated with blood lipid levels in adults. However, studies focusing on the fatty acid desaturase (FADS) gene cluster have been understudied in this population, even though it seems associated with lipid profiles in other ethnicities. The aim of this study was to test associations between single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in the FADS cluster (rs174546, rs1535, rs174548, rs174550, rs174450, and rs174618) and serum lipid profiles in young Mexicans.

METHODS: Anthropometrics, serum lipid profiles, and FADS SNPs were measured in 998 subjects in the UP-AMIGOS cohort study. Genotype-phenotype (total cholesterol [TC], triglyceride [TG], high-density lipoprotein cholesterol [HDL-C], low-density lipoprotein cholesterol [LDL-C], and very-low-density lipoprotein [VLDL]) associations were assessed using PLINK adjusted for sex, age, and body mass index (BMI).

RESULTS: Among 6 FADS SNPs, we found that carriers of the C-allele of the FADS1-rs174546 showed a significant association with lower TG concentrations (β = -12.6 mg/dL, p = 0.009) and lower VLDL concentrations (β = -2.52 mg/dL, p = 0.005). We found that rs174546, rs1535, and rs174550 were in high linkage disequilibrium (r2 > 0.80). There were no significant associations between rs174550, rs174548, and rs174618 and lipid profiles.

CONCLUSION: A genetic variant in the FADS1 (rs174546) gene is a major contributor of plasma TG and VLDL concentrations in healthy young Mexicans.