Improved plasma cholesterol levels in men after a nutrition education program at the worksite

Eighty management-level male employees participated in a company-sponsored comprehensive physical that included determination of plasma total cholesterol, low-density lipoprotein cholesterol, high-density lipoprotein cholesterol, and triglyceride levels and percentage of body fat. After the lipid screening, each employee met with a registered dietitian who explained the results of the lipid analysis and discussed risk factors for coronary heart disease with an emphasis on diet. Seventy employees had a triglyceride level above 5.17 mmol/L and were invited to participate in a nutrition education program. Thirty-three (mean age = 44 years) chose to participate (intervention group); the other 37 (mean age = 35 years) served as controls (control group). Thus, the design of the study was not random. All subjects completed 3-day dietary records before and after the nutrition education program. Nutrition intervention consisted of (a) individualized instruction about the step 1 diet; (b) group sessions (1 hour every 3 months) on eating out, dietary fiber, and maintaining heart healthy behaviors; and (c) individualized follow-up by telephone (one call per month). The results of the year-long program revealed that men in the intervention group decreased dietary intake of energy (2,546 +/- 162 kcal to 2,246 +/- 125 kcal) and cholesterol (444 +/- 5.3 mg to 304 +/- 1.6 mg) and percentage of energy from total fat (38 +/- 3.4% to 31 +/- 2.6%) and protein (24 +/- 3.5% to 20 +/- 2.2%). Their consumption of carbohydrate and dietary fiber increased (38 +/- 2.1% to 45 +/- 2.5% and 8.0 +/- 2.3 g to 23.0 +/- 3.5 g, respectively).(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)