Differences in HDL cholesterol concentrations in Japanese, American, and Australian children

Mortality from coronary heart disease is relatively low in Japan compared with other developed countries and has remained low despite an increasing standard of living and an apparent increase in mean plasma cholesterol concentration in adults over the past three decades. Important differences in childhood plasma lipoprotein profile might contribute to some of the difference in coronary heart disease mortality seen between Japan and both Australia and North America.

Plasma HDL cholesterol and total cholesterol were surveyed in representative populations of schoolchildren in Australia, Japan, and Bogalusa, La. The mean concentration of plasma HDL cholesterol (but not total cholesterol) was higher for Japanese schoolchildren than for Australian or US schoolchildren (P<.001). In addition, the difference in plasma HDL cholesterol between the ages of 8 to 10 years and 12 to 15 years was much greater for Australian (boys, 15.2%; girls, 2.6%) and US (boys, 9.1%; girls, 2.7%) children than for their Japanese counterparts (boys, 4.2%; girls, 1.9%). An examination of potential explanatory factors revealed little difference in body mass index between samples, higher physical activity levels for the Japanese compared with the Australians, and substantial differences in dietary intake between Japanese and Australian schoolchildren.

The relatively high ratio of plasma HDL cholesterol to total cholesterol in Japanese schoolchildren and the relatively small negative difference of plasma HDL cholesterol with age may help to explain why the coronary heart disease mortality rate in Japan is low compared with that in other developed countries.