The Gene-Editing Therapy That Can Halve Your Triglycerides

Heart disease catches a lot of people by surprise, but it doesn’t have to:

Menopause can bring increased cholesterol levels and other heart risks. Here’s why and what to do about it

First, let’s have a quick refresher of cholesterol and triglycerides. In few words:

Cholesterol is packaged with triglycerides (the most common type of fat in the body) and specific “apo” proteins into “lipo-proteins” as a package called “very-low-density” lipoproteins (VLDLs).

• These are transported via the blood to body tissue in a form called low-density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol.
• Excess cholesterol can be transported back to the liver by high-density lipoprotein (HDL) cholesterol, for removal from circulation.

Another less talked about blood fat is Lipoprotein-a, or Lp(a). Having a high Lp(a) level is an independent cardiovascular disease risk factor.

For more details and numbers, see:

What is a blood cholesterol ratio? And what should yours be?

Many people, of course, have numbers far from what they should be. Especially common is to see LDL levels that are far too high for good health.

See also: Demystifying Cholesterol

So, what to do about it?

First, understand the causes, because it’s often not actually about foods that are high in cholesterol themselves.

For example:

• Egg yolks are high in cholesterol but have a minimal impact on blood cholesterol
  • Learn more: Eggs: Nutritional Powerhouse or Heart-Health Timebomb?
• Saturated and trans fats (as found in fatty meats or dairy, and some processed foods) have a greater influence on LDL levels than dietary cholesterol.
  • Learn more: Can Saturated Fats Be Healthy? ← see for example how palm oil and coconut oil are both plant-based, and both high in saturated fat, but palm oil’s is heart-unhealthy on balance, while coconut oil’s is heart-healthy on balance (in moderation).

And on the other hand:

• Fiber-rich foods help lower LDL by affecting fat absorption in the digestive tract
  • Learn more: What Matters Most For Your Heart? Eat More (Of This) For Lower Blood Pressure ← spoiler: it’s fiber
• Unsaturated fats (e.g. from fish, nuts, seeds) have anti-inflammatory benefits
  • Learn more: What Omega-3 Fatty Acids Really Do For Us

Next, understand that not all medications will be the right choice for all people.

Statins are a good example of this, as they have potential risks and benefits in general, but as a general rule of thumb, the risks are higher for women and the benefits are higher for men.

For more detail about that, see: Statins: His & Hers?

…which was largely informed by the wealth of data in this book:

The Truth About Statins – by Dr. Barbara H. Roberts

What’s this about gene-editing, then?

The gene-editing technology CRISPR can be used to tweak things so that your body is now genetically predisposed to healthy triglycerides.

At least, that’s what the preliminary trials suggest; larger studies are definitely needed to be sure.

A team of scientists used CRISPR to target the ANGPTL3 gene to permanently reduce LDL cholesterol and triglycerides in patients with lipid disorders that had otherwise remained out of control despite standard therapy.

The study was small: 15 patients (mostly men, with an average age of 53) received a single intravenous infusion of one of five doses (0.1–0.8 mg/kg) of CTX310 and were followed for at least 60 days.

You may be wondering: what is “CTX310”?

And the answer is:

❝a lipid-nanoparticle–encapsulated clustered regularly interspaced short palindromic repeats–Cas9 endonuclease (CRISPR-Cas9) messenger RNA (mRNA)❞

Source: Phase 1 Trial of CRISPR-Cas9 Gene Editing Targeting ANGPTL3

So to oversimplify that somewhat: it’s a helpful nanotechnology that rewrites part of your DNA.

As for how safe it is: no dose-limiting toxic effects were recorded. However, two serious adverse events (spinal-disc herniation and death from pre-existing cardiovascular disease) occurred, but were deemed unrelated.

As for how well it worked: at the highest doses, ANGPTL3 levels dropped sharply (up to 79%). But that’s the genes, not the consequences.

More useful to know is that LDL cholesterol fell by up to 49% at the 0.5–0.8 mg/kg doses, and triglycerides decreased up to 62%.

You can read a pop-science article about it here: Gene-editing therapy for elevated lipid levels shows promise

Don’t want to do that?

For a gentler approach, check out:

Lower Cholesterol Naturally

Take care!