Serum total cholesterol, triglyceride level, and dietary intake in Japanese students aged 15 years

The authors surveyed serum cholesterol and triglyceride levels in 238 male and 217 female students aged 15 years in Osaka, Japan, in 1977, as well as dietary intake, using a 24-hour record in 81 male and 61 female students. Serum cholesterol and triglyceride levels of Japanese students were 163.6 mg/dl and 81.7 mg/dl, respectively, for males, and 182.2 mg/dl and 78.9 mg/dl for females. For female students, those who participated in a school sports club regularly during the previous three years had cholesterol levels 10 mg/dl lower than the subjects who had not participated in a sports club; these active students also had smaller skinfold thickness, although there was no difference in other anthropometric measurements. Although the dietary intake of Japanese students was found to be westernized, compared with that of Japanese adults, Japanese students reported low fat intake (25-30% of energy), high polyunsaturated/saturated fatty acid ratio (1.1-1.2), and high carbohydrate intake (55-61% of energy), differing considerably from US students.