Human cardiometabolic health: The role of genetic variants, diurnal rhythms, and intermittent energy restriction diets

Cardiovascular diseases are the leading cause of death worldwide. Various risk factors increase the risk of developing cardiovascular diseases, such as elevated LDL-cholesterol concentrations and overweight/ obesity. A balance between the synthesis and absorption of cholesterol in the body is important to maintain healthy serum LDL-cholesterol concentrations. This thesis has studied whether differences in the genetic background explain differences in the synthesis and absorption of cholesterol in the body. In addition, it was examined whether the synthesis and absorption of cholesterol differed between the day and the night, and whether it depends on the composition of a meal. This knowledge is important to improve the effectiveness of interventions aimed at preventing cardiovascular diseases (personalized nutrition). This thesis has furthermore compared the health effects of diets that focus on the timing of food intake, the so-called intermittent fasting diets, with continuous energy restriction diets. It is relevant to study whether the effects on body weight of diets that take the timing of food intake into account are superior to those of continuous energy restriction, as this may ultimately lower the risk of developing cardiovascular diseases.