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Love Nuts? Your APOA5 Gene May Not!

Nuts are generally considered healthy foods because they are rich in protein, high in saturated fat and contain no cholesterol. But they are not good for everyone . Many people develop high blood triglyceride levels when eaten too many nuts that can be linked to APOA5 gene variants .

APOA5 gene is a key player in regulating the levels of triglycerides in the blood. Triglycerides circulate in the blood , the administration of fatty acids from fat ( useful) to all cells and tissues for energy production or storage. However, when the levels of triglycerides in the blood becomes too high , the risk of increased cardiovascular disease .

Several variants of APOA5 genetic risk causing abnormal levels of triglycerides in the blood . A variant of the risk is particularly common in Asian , African and Spanish countries , with a frequency of 20-50%. This variant is much less common in Caucasians , only 8% are carriers. If you make a copy of this variant, your triglyceride level in the blood is likely to be 20 % higher than non-carriers . And if you carry two copies of this variant , the level of triglycerides in the blood is likely to be 25-35 % higher than non-carriers .

So what does this have to do with nuts ? One study found that carriers APOA5 variants are more sensitive to certain types of fatty acids ( polyunsaturated fatty acids) found in nuts . There are two types of polyunsaturated fatty acids in nuts and other natural fats and oils : the omega -3 and omega -6. It has been demonstrated that when dietary omega-6 polyunsaturated fatty acids have exceeded 6 % or more of total calories, APOA5 carry risk variants had a 30% increase in triglycerides in the blood. And when omega - 6 PUFA were less than 6% , triglyceride levels in carriers variant was comparable to non-carriers. Therefore, if you are a carrier of the gene APOA5 risk variant , can prevent high blood triglyceride levels by limiting your omega-6 polyunsaturated fatty acids with less than 6% of total caloric intake. APOA5 variants influence not only the sensitivity to omega -6 fatty acids, which also makes firms react differently to medications to lower triglycerides and exercise.

Because most nuts are rich in omega - 6, an effective way to limit your consumption of omega -6 to avoid excessive consumption of nuts . However , nuts are not the only dietary source of omega - 6 ! Many food base oils such as corn oil, soybean oil and cottonseed oil are also dietary fiber sources of omega -6 . You can get an accurate assessment of their current omega-6 PUFA with a free online tool called HealthWatch GB diet and nutrition assessment . It can also help you determine what foods rich in omega - 6.
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