Epigenetic mechanisms, including DNA methylation and histone modifications, might be involved in the regulation of blood lipid concentration variability and may thereby affect cardiovascular health. We aimed to systematically review studies investigating the association between epigenetic marks and plasma concentrations of triacylglycerol, total cholesterol, low-density lipoprotein-cholesterol, and high-density lipoprotein-cholesterol. Six medical databases were searched until September 3rd 2015, reference lists were screened, and experts in the field were contacted. Of the 757 identified references, 31 articles reporting on 23 unique studies met all inclusion criteria. These studies included data on 8027 unique participants. Overall, no consistent associations were observed between global DNA methylation and blood lipids. Candidate gene and epigenome-wide association studies reported epigenetic regulation of several genes to be related with blood lipids, of which results for ABCG1, CPT1A, TNNT1, MIR33B, SREBF1, and TNIP were replicated. To date, no studies have been performed on histone modification in relation to blood lipids. To conclude, promising results have been reported in the field of epigenetics and dyslipidaemia, however, further rigorous studies are needed to expand our understanding on the role of epigenetics in regulating human's blood lipid levels and its effects on health and disease.

表观遗传机制，包括DNA甲基化和组蛋白修饰，可能参与血脂浓度变异性的调节，从而可能影响心血管健康。我们旨在系统地回顾研究表观遗传标记与血浆三酰甘油，总胆固醇，低密度脂蛋白胆固醇和高密度脂蛋白胆固醇之间的关系的研究。检索了六个医学数据库，直到2015年9月3日，筛选了参考文献清单，并与该领域的专家进行了联系。在757篇参考文献中，有31篇报道了23项独特研究的文章均符合所有纳入标准。这些研究包括8027位独特参与者的数据。总体而言，在整体DNA甲基化与血脂之间未观察到一致的关联。复制了ABCG1，CPT1A，TNNT1，MIR33B，SREBF1和TNIP。迄今为止，尚未进行关于与血脂有关的组蛋白修饰的研究。总之，在表观遗传学和血脂异常领域中已报道了令人鼓舞的结果，然而，需要进一步的严格研究来扩大我们对表观遗传学在调节人的血脂水平及其对健康和疾病的影响中的作用的理解。