THE EFFECT OF DIET ON LIPID, APOPROTEIN AND LIPOPARTICLE VARIATION INTHE ECTIM STUDY IN BELFAST

The objective of the study was to evaluate the contribution of dietary factors to variation of plasma levels of lipids, apoproteins and lipo particles in the Northern Ireland population. This study was part of a larger case-control study of the genetic and environmental determinan ts of myocardial infarction in France and Northern Ireland. A random s ample of 175 middle aged men was drawn from the population covered by the Belfast MONICA project register. Habitual diet was assessed by a q uestionnaire. A blood sample was obtained after an over-night fast for determination of plasma levels of lipids, apoproteins and lipoparticl es. All participants had a medical examination and completed a lifesty le questionnaire. In a stepwise regression, after adjusting for co-fac tors (i) vitamin C and (ii) alcohol consumption were the only nutrient s which contributed significantly to the variation in, respectively, ( i) Total Cholesterol, LDL Cholesterol and Apolipoprotein B (inverse co rrelation) and (ii) HDL Cholesterol and LpAI (positive correlation). T he amount of variation explained by the final models was modest, rangi ng from 4% to 15%. In conclusion, in this Northern Ireland population, habitual diet contributes to little of the variation in plasma levels of lipids, apoproteins and lipoparticles.