Dunedin, NEW ZEALAND — A genetic variant commonly found in Māori and Pacific people could help to boost the amount of a “good” form of cholesterol, University of Otago researchers have revealed.

Their study, published in the journal HGG Advances, represents another significant genetic discovery among populations that remain grossly under-represented in global genomics research.

It also marks one of the latest insights from a research effort that began 15 years ago when a group of scientists began working with Māori and Pacific participants to explore metabolic genetic traits.

More than 5000 individuals have since taken part, including people from Aotearoa, Samoa and American Samoa, providing researchers with a wealth of unique DNA data to analyse.

In the latest study, Jaye Moors, a Pacific researcher at Otago University, focused on a particular enzyme called cholesteryl ester transfer protein, or CETP.

That is known to affect levels of HDL, or high-density lipoprotein, which is sometimes called “good” cholesterol because of its role in aiding heart health.

CETP works by absorbing cholesterol in the blood and carrying it back to the liver, where it is flushed from the body, in turn lowering the risk of heart disease and stroke.

While analysing the data, Moors discovered a remarkable genetic variant that appeared important for CETP’s function.

Using a statistical methodology, she was later able to show the variant indeed correlated to a dramatic change in HDL cholesterol.

Read more at Te Ao online