Human study · Nutrition · 14 Oct 2026
In 1,020 adults in Chennai, a higher genetic risk score lined up with higher cholesterol only when diet quality was low
Source: PLOS One
What the research found
Study (cross-sectional). In 1,020 adults from the Chennai Urban Rural Epidemiology Study (452 men and 568 women, ages 25 to 80), a score of three variants in TCF7L2 and FTO was tied to higher fasting glucose and HbA1c. The same score lined up with higher total cholesterol and LDL cholesterol only among people with a low Indian Diet Quality Score, based on eight food groups (interaction p = 0.003 and 0.005). At low diet quality, the high-score group had higher cholesterol than the low-score group. This is one city at one time. It does not show that changing diet will change a given person's cholesterol. Not medical advice.
Evidence level: Human study. A study in people, but an association isn't proof of cause.
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