Effect of diet on posttransplant hyperlipidaemia

Twenty-five patients with a renal transplant for 15 months to 19.4 years, hyperlipidaemia and stable graft function underwent three months of dietary management. Plasma lipid and apolipoprotein concentrations and lipoprotein electrophoresis were measured after a 12 hour fast at enrollment and after three months of diet. The aims of diet were to reduce energy intake in the overweight, restrict fat to 25-30% of total intake, reduce saturated fat content to less than 10% of total energy and cholesterol to less than 300 mg/d. After three months of diet there was a significant fall in mean cholesterol/HDL cholesterol risk ratio and a rise in mean HDL cholesterol concentration. Six patients reverted to a normal lipoprotein electrophoretic pattern with a significant reduction in mean total cholesterol, LDL cholesterol, cholesterol/HDL cholesterol ratio, apoprotein B and apoB/apo A-1 ratio. Most of the other patients who made dietary modifications showed some improvement in their lipid parameters. Dietary modification should be the initial approach to the management of posttransplant hyperlipidaemia.