ABSTRACT
This study was conducted to investigate the concentrations of serum fatty acids, lipoprotein(a) and apolipoprotein of three populations in North Vietnam: rural area with low income (n = 101), suburban with average income (n = 97), and urban with high income (n = 95). The results showed the suburban and urban populations had higher fat intake than the rural. The fat intake in quality was different in these three populations. The suburban had the highest consumption of fatty foods rich in n-6 polyunsaturated fatty acid (PUFA). The rural consumed more fatty foods rich in monounsaturated fatty acid (MUFA), but less fatty foods rich in n-3 PUFA than the two other populations. The high index of thrombogenicity (IT) of the Vietnamese diet may result from their low intake of fish and vegetable oils. Risk factors for premature cardiovascular disease (CVD) assessed by serum lipoprotein(a) and apolipoprotein levels were not observed in all three populations. However, coronary heart disease (CHD) and stroke are problems that should be monitored because the increase of CVD morbidity has been reported in Vietnamese people. From a nutritional point of view, the increase of fish and vegetable oils consumption is necessary for the prevention of CVD and CHD in these Vietnamese populations.
