The Tromsø Heart Study: food habits, serum total cholesterol, HDL cholesterol, and triglycerides.

Associations between food habits and total serum cholesterol, high density lipoprotein (HDL) cholesterol, and serum triglycerides were examined in 7,410 men and 7,257 women in Tromsø, Norway, following a screening in 1979-1980. High body mass index was associated with high serum cholesterol, high triglycerides, and low HDL cholesterol. Positive associations were observed between high serum cholesterol and high coffee consumption, use of butter or hard margarine, not selecting low-fat milk, and low bread consumption. The HDL cholesterol level was virtually independent of the dietary items recorded. Use of low-fat milk and frequent use of fish dishes for dinner seemed to be related to low serum triglyceride levels.