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ARS Home » Northeast Area » Boston, Massachusetts » Jean Mayer Human Nutrition Research Center On Aging » Research » Publications at this Location » Publication #57207
Title: RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN DIETARY INTAKE, LIPOPROTEINS, AND APOLIPOPROTEINS IN TAIPEI AND FRAMINGHAM

Author
item LI-CHING LYU - TUFTS-HNRCA
item SHIEH MING-JER - TAIPEI MEDICAL COLLEGE
item POSNER BARBARA M - BOSTON UNIVERSITY
item ORDOVAS JOSE M - TUFTS-HNRCA
item DWYER JOHANNA T - TUFTS-HNRCA
item LICHTENSTEIN ALI - TUFTS-HNRCA
item CUPPLES ADRIENNE - BOSTON UNIVERSITY
item DALLAL GERARD E - TUFTS-HNRCA
item WILSON PETER W F - FRAMINGHAM HEART STUDY
item SCHAEFER ERNST J - TUFTS-HNRCA

Submitted to: The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition
Publication Type: Peer Reviewed Journal
Publication Acceptance Date: 5/9/1994
Publication Date: N/A
Citation: N/A

Interpretive Summary: It has been recognized for many years that much can be learned about common diseases by studying variations in disease frequency and trends in different countries. The purpose of this study was to determine the relationship between diet and lipoproteins, particles that carry fat and cholesterol in the blood, in two populations with marked differences in heart disease - Taipei (Taiwan) and Framingham (MA) - and to determine whether the differences observed in diet and fat levels in blood could explain these heart disease differences. Four hundred and twenty-three men and women were studied in Taipei and 420 in Framingham. Our study shows that the difference was due in part to the Taipei diet which is lower in fat and higher in polyunsaturated fatty acids. In addition, subjects in Taipei had a lower body weight than in Framingham. In conclusion, our study indicates that the lower heart disease rate in Taipei as compared to Framingham is due in part to a more healthy diet and less obesity.

Technical Abstract: To determine whether the lower rates of heart disease in Taiwan than in the United States could be related to associations between plasma lipoproteins and dietary intake, we assessed these indexes in 423 adults in Taipei matched with 420 adults in Framingham, MA. Concentrations of LDL cholesterol were 14% lower, HDL cholesterol 9% higher, and LDL cholesterol:HDL cholesterol 27% lower in Taipei than in Framingham. Dietary intakes of total fat (34%), saturated fatty acids, and cholesterol (338 mg) were, respectively, 16%, 41%, and 19% lower in Taipei men, whereas polyunsaturated fatty acids intake was 89% higher than in Framingham men. Similar differences were seen for women except for total fat and cholesterol intakes, which were similar. From stepwise analyses of all subjects, we observed significant associations of lower LDL cholesterol:HDL cholesterol with higher polyunsaturated fatty acid intakes and lower body mass indexes in both men and women. Our data indicate that the more favorable lipoprotein profile observed in Taipei subjects may be partly due to differences in type of dietary fat consumption as well as body mass index.