Associations of diet and alcohol intake with high-density lipoprotein subclasses☆

Abstract Nutritional components from three-day records were studied in association with plasma high-density lipoprotein (HDL) cholesterol, serum HDL 2 -mass, serum HDL 3 -mass, and plasma HDL apolipoproteins A-I, A-II, and D concentrations in a cross-sectional survey of 77 adult males. Correlation and regression analyses revealed that the serum concentrations of HDL 3 were strongly associated with the intakes of various nutrients, whereas serum HDL 2 concentrations showed only weak nutritional associations. Carbohydrate intake correlated negatively with HDL 3 concentrations, and alcohol intake correlated positively with serum concentrations of HDL 3 and apolipoproteins A-I, A-II, and D. These associations remained significant when adjusted for cigarette smoking, adiposity, and aerobic fitness. HDL 2 did not correlate significantly with alcohol intake, total carbohydrates, or starch. HDL-cholesterol concentrations showed two distinct regions of inverse association with intake of sucrose, one involving HDL 3 with sucrose between 0 and 10 g/1,000 kcal and one involving HDL 2 with sucrose above 25 g/1000 kcal. Alcohol, sucrose, and starch together accounted for 36% of the variance of HDL 3 concentration, but less than 5% of the variance of HDL 2 concentration. Thus, serum concentrations of HDL 3 and HDL 2 show different relationships to major dietary components.