Diet and plasma lipids in women. II. Macronutrients and plasma triglycerides, high-density lipoprotein, and the ratio of total to high-density lipoprotein cholesterol in women: the Framingham nutrition studies.

This study examined relationships between macronutrients and plasma triglycerides, HDL, and the total-to-HDL cholesterol ratio (T/H ratio) in a population-based sample of 695 premenopausal and 727 postmenopausal women participating in the Framingham Offspring/Spouse Study. Multivariate regression analyses revealed that plasma triglycerides were inversely related to protein, fiber, and polyunsaturated fat and directly related to saturated fat and oleic acid. Alcohol intake was directly related to HDL cholesterol and inversely related to the T/H ratio in all subgroups of women, except for postmenopausal women with the 3/2 or 2/2 apolipoprotein E phenotype. Similarly, a direct relationship between dietary fat and HDL cholesterol was limited to this single subgroup of postmenopausal women. Since dietary fat and alcohol do not appear to have consistent effects on plasma lipids in all groups of women, it is important to consider the genetic contribution to diet/lipid relationships in epidemiological studies and when evaluating lipid-lowering interventions.