[Obesity and hyperlipoproteinemia. I. Changes in lipid levels in obese persons]

The authors investigated changes in serum lipid levels in 115 obese men and 172 obese women. The body mass index (BMI) of the subjects was 29-50 kg/m2. The group was subdivided by sex and age as follows: 15-18 years, 19-25 years, 26-35 years, 36-55 years. It was revealed that with advancing age and increasing body weight the mean tiacylglycerol levels in men increased from 1.74 mmol/l to 4.40 mmol/l, in women from 1.37 mmol/l to 1.84 mmol/l. The mean levels of total serum cholesterol increased in men from 4.58 mmol/l to 6.82 mmol/l, in women from 5.09 mmol/l to 5.96 mmol/l. In the rise of serum cholesterol in men the LDL and VLDL fractions participated, in women mainly the LDL fraction. Conversely the HDL fraction declined in men from 1.60 mmol/l to 1.20 mmol/l, in women from 1.71 mmol/l to 1.26 mmol/l. The mean value of the atherogenic index in men increased from 2.88 to 5.68, in women from 2.99 to 4.73. The results indicate the adverse changes of serum lipid levels in obese subjects which appear in men already after the age of 25 years, in women 10-20 years later. The authors discuss the causes of hyperlipoproteinaemia and the risk of atherosclerosis in obesity.