LIPEMIA AND LIPOPROTEINAEMIA IN A SPANISH MALE NONSMOKER POPULATION CONSUMING SUNFLOWER OIL

The aim of this study was to assess the prevalence of altered levels o f serum lipids, lipoproteins and apolipoprotein (Apo) B in very active , 20 to 65 year-old, Spanish male nonsmokers who consumed sunflower oi l. Among the 169 participants, total serum cholesterol (TC), triglycer ides (TG), LDL-C, and TC/HDL-C were found to be age-dependent variable s. A detailed study over a 12-day period showed that this population d isplayed a Mediterranean dietary pattern, with the exception of the su bstitution of sunflower for olive oil. Saturated, monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fatty acids represented 9.9 %, 12.7 % and 8.8 % of the total amount of energy, respectively. The cholesterol-saturated fat i ndex of the average diet was 19.2 per 1 000 kcal, whereas the Keys ind ex of the diet was 27.1. Daily intakes of fibre, ascorbic acid and vit amin E were 25.1 g, 89.6 mg and 28.3 mg, respectively. The calcium/mag nesium ratio of the average diet was 1.54. The low percentage of indiv iduals with high TC levels (5.4 % with TC greater than or equal to 6.4 9 mmol/L), high TG levels (3.7 % with TG greater than or equal to 2.25 mmol/L), high Apo B levels (3.0 % with greater than or equal to 1.5 g /L), low levels of HDL-C (0.7 % with less than or equal to 0.91 mmol/L ), high LDL-C levels (1.4 % with greater than or equal to 4.94 mmol/L or a high TC/HDL-C ratio (2.8 % with greater than or equal to 5.0) sug gest a reasonable protection against coronary heart disease in this Sp anish population.