Diet Intervention and GEnetic STudy (DIGEST-Pilot)

Genetic factors contribute to risk factors for cardiovascular disease, such as blood lipids, blood pressure, obesity, diabetes, and may also influence dietary choices, physical activity, and responses to stress. The most robust genetic variant associated with myocardial infarction (MI) is the 9p21 variant, which may raise the risk of MI by up to 40% in those who carry 2 copies of the gene. The investigators recently found that among those who carry the 9p21 variant, the risk of MI may be "turned off" if individuals eat a diet high in fruits and vegetables. The investigators seek to determine how a "prudent" or "anti-inflammatory" diet interacts with the 9p21 risk allele to alter the risk of MI.