Seventh-Day Adventist adolescents--life-style patterns and cardiovascular risk factors

The life-style of adolescents attending a Seventh-Day Adventist boarding school was evaluated as it related to cardiovascular risk factors. The diet contained 34% calories as fat, with 11% derived from saturated fat. Total serum cholesterol levels were low (mean, standard deviation=138+/-15 mg per dl), and apolipoprotein B level was low as well (46+/-9 mg per dl). The high-density lipoprotein cholesterol level was within the usual range (52.4+/-13.3 mg per dl). Mean blood pressures were also low (systolic, 104.1+/-9.6 mm of mercury; diastolic, 65.7+/-9.7 mm of mercury). There was no self-reported use of cigarettes. If this life-style were to continue through adulthood, the incidence of premature atherosclerotic disease, particularly coronary artery disease, for this group might well be reduced, compared with other North Americans, as suggested by findings from previous studies of adult Seventh-Day Adventists.