[Relation between HDL cholesterol and fasting glycemia in a normal population and a diabetic group].

An inverse relationship exists between the levels of HDL-cholesterol and fasting blood sugar in a control population (active men, n = 522) and a group of diabetics. The diabetics also have reduced apoprotein A-I levels (98.7 +/- 21.0 U/l) in comparison with normoglycemic controls (115.0 +/- 8.3 U/l). Given the role that the HDL fraction has been suggested to exercise in the development of atherosclerosis, the inverse relationship described above could be involved in determining the extent of cardiovascular disease in diabetics.