I have thought that natural genes are made up of how I communicate with the food I eat for the rest of my life. But recently, an interesting study was published that analyzed this scientifically.

The most precise genetic map of the human metabolites, or the flow of chemistry in our bodies, has been completed by a large-scale study published at the British Biobank. It is a huge network of life created by linking 249 metabolic indicators of 460,000 participants and tens of thousands of genetic mutations.

Researchers detected microscopic signals hidden in human blood. HDL, LDL, amino acids, fatty acids, ketone bodies, and the grammar were determined by genes.

This massive data analysis is headed for a conclusion. HDL, which we call good cholesterol, and LDL, which we call bad cholesterol, are not simply a matter of many or few; there is a scenario of the particle size, structure, and genes that govern the structure.

What scientists discovered was not just the influence of a single gene.
Hundreds and thousands of genes are intertwined to create a metabolic phenomenon.
They help or interfere with each other. Polygenic interactions are what researchers call complex interactions.

After all, life is not just a command system, but a society made up of numerous networks of cooperation and conflict. Even our body’s genes are democratic.

Doctors once believed that the higher HDL cholesterol, the less heart disease it had. However, when HDL was forcibly increased with medicine, side effects would occur. This study explains why. The size and composition of particles are more important than the amount of HDL.

Genes like VEGFA control the risk of cardiovascular disease while determining this particulate structure. In the end, we increased HDL, but we created the wrong kind of HDL.

We are now learning how complicated the line between good and bad is.

출처: https://www.nature.com/articles/s41588-025-02355-3