Indian diet shift exposes hidden genetic cholesterol risk

Changing diets in India could be leaving a hidden group of people at greater risk of high cholesterol because of genes they do not know they carry.

Across India, people are eating more white rice and white flour, and less fibre, fruit and vegetables. Scientists from the University of Reading and the Madras Diabetes Research Foundation, Chennai, India found that for people with certain genes, this kind of diet is linked to more cholesterol in the blood.

The research, published today (Wednesday, 14 October) in the journal PLOS One, is the first to look at how genes and overall diet together affect cholesterol in people of Indian heritage.

Professor Vimal Karani, who led the study at the University of Reading, said: “Food in India is changing fast, and our study suggests some people may be paying a hidden price. You cannot tell by looking at someone whether they carry these genes, but when they eat lots of white rice and little fruit and vegetables, they tend to have more cholesterol in their blood.

“Our genes do not have to decide our health. Eating more fruit, vegetables, beans and lentils may help protect the people most at risk, and food advice in India needs to reflect that now.”

Food and family

The study is the first to look at how genes and overall diet work together to affect cholesterol in people of Indian heritage. 

The research involved studying the genes and diets of 1,020 adults in Chennai, a city in southern India. Participants were given a diet score. The researchers found people with the genes linked to diabetes had more cholesterol if they ate the least fruit, vegetables, beans and lentils.

The study shows a link but cannot prove that one causes the other. The team say longer studies are needed to test whether moving to a diet with more vegetables and pulses can reduce cholesterol in people who carry these genes. If it does, a DNA test could one day help doctors spot who would gain most from changing their diet.

Notes to editors: 

Professor Vimal Karani is available for interview. Contact the University of Reading Press Office on 0118 378 5757 or pressoffice@reading.ac.uk to arrange.

Bineid, M. M., Bodhini, D., Ramya, K., Shanthi Rani, C. S., Pradeepa, R., Anjana, R. M., Radha, V., Mohan, V., & Vimaleswaran, K. S. (2026). Low diet quality increases the genetic risk of high blood cholesterol levels in Asian Indian adults [CURES – 165]. PLOS ONE, 21(10), e0357182. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0357182