Replacing Saturated Fat with Polyunsaturated Fat Modulates Peripheral Blood Mononuclear Cell Gene Expression and Pathways Related to Cardiovascular Disease Risk Using a Whole Transcriptome Approach.

Scope The aim of this study was to explore the molecular mechanisms underlying the effect of replacing dietary saturated fat (SFA) with polyunsaturated fat (PUFA) on cardiovascular disease (CVD) risk using a whole transcriptome approach. Methods and results Healthy subjects with moderate hypercholesterolemia (n = 115) were randomly assigned to a control diet (C-diet) group or an experimental diet (Ex-diet) group receiving comparable food items with different fatty acid composition for eight weeks. RNA isolated from peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMC) at baseline and after eight weeks of intervention was analyzed by use of microarray technology (n = 95). Using a linear regression model (n = 92), 14 gene transcripts were significantly differentially altered in the Ex-diet group compared to the C-diet group (false discovery rate (FDR) q-value Conclusion Replacing dietary SFA with PUFA for eight weeks modulates PBMC gene expression and pathways related to CVD risk in healthy subjects with moderate hypercholesterolemia. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved.