Serum cholesteryl ester fatty acids and their relation with serum lipids in elderly men in Crete and The Netherlands

This study describes dietary fatty acid intake, as assessed from serum cholesteryl ester composition, and its relation to serum lipoprotein levels in 100 age-matched elderly men from Crete and Zutphen. All were survivors of the respective cohorts of the Seven Countries Study [Keys A (1980) Seven countries: a multivariate analysis of death and coronary heart disease. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press]. A significantly higher percentage of oleic acid and a significantly lower percentage of linoleic acid in the cholesteryl esters was observed in the Cretan compared with the Zutphen men. The mean serum total cholesterol levels of the elderly men in Crete and Zutphen were similar (5.98 and 5.92 mmol/l, respectively), but in the Cretans the HDL cholesterol level was significantly higher (1.28 vs 1.09 mmol/l). The percentage of smokers and the average body mass index did not differ between the Cretan and Zutphen men, but the percentage of severely overweight men was three times higher in the Cretan cohort. Among men in Zutphen the oleic acid content of the cholesteryl esters was positively associated with the HDL cholesterol level, independent of the effects of age, body mass index, cigarette smoking and alcohol intake. However, the difference in HDL cholesterol level between Zutphen and Crete could be explained to only a minor extent by differences in serum cholesteryl oleic acid, smoking, or obesity.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)