On the within-population relationship between nutrition and serum lipids: the B.I.R.N.H study

A randomized study was performed in Belgium concerning the relationship between diet and serum lipids in 5485 men and 4856 women with a mean age of 49 years. In men 17.3% of total energy was provided by saturated fat, 15.2% by monounsaturated fat and 7.5% by polyunsaturated fat. The fat intake in women was very similar. The P/S ratio was 0.51 in men and 0.52 in women. The alcohol intake was significantly higher in men (5.2% of total energy) than in women (2% of total energy). In men and women total serum cholesterol increased with saturated fat intake (p <0.001) and decreased with polyunsaturated fat intake (p <0.01). Saturated fat intake raised the HDL-cholesterol level in men and women (p <0.001) and monounsaturated fat raised it in men only (p <0.01). Dietary cholesterol increased the HDL-cholesterol level in women only (p <0.01). HDL-cholesterol increased with alcohol consumption (p <0.001) and decreased with cigarette smoking (p <<0.001). All these changes were adjusted for differences in age, height and weight. The study confirms the existence, within a population, of a significant relationship between fat intake and serum lipid levels.