Serum cholesteryl ester fatty acids and their relation with serum lipids in elderly men in Crete and The Netherlands.

This study describes dietary fatty acid intake, as assessed from serum cholesteryl ester composition, and its relation to serum lipoprotein levels in 100 age-matched elderly men from Crete and Zutphen. All were survivors of the respective cohorts of the Seven Countries Study [Keys A (1980) Seven countries: a multivariate analysis of death and coronary heart disease. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press]. A significantly higher percentage of oleic acid and a significantly lower percentage of linoleic acid in the cholesteryl esters was observed in the Cretan compared with the Zutphen men. The mean serum total cholesterol levels of the elderly men in Crete and Zutphen were similar (5.98 and 5.92 mmol/l, respectively), but in the Cretans the HDL cholesterol level was significantly higher (1.28 vs 1.09 mmol/l). The percentage of smokers and the average body mass index did not differ between the Cretan and Zutphen men, but the percentage of severely overweight men was three times higher in the Cretan cohort. Among men in Zutphen the oleic acid content of the cholesteryl esters was positively associated with the HDL cholesterol level, independent of the effects of age, body mass index, cigarette smoking and alcohol intake. However, the difference in HDL cholesterol level between Zutphen and Crete could be explained to only a minor extent by differences in serum cholesteryl oleic acid, smoking, or obesity.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Serum lipids, apoproteins and nutrient intake in rural Cretan boys consuming high-olive-oil diets.

A high intake of olive oil has produced high levels of high-density and low levels of low-density lipoprotein cholesterol in short-term dietary trials. To investigate long-term effects of olive oil we have studied the diet and serum lipids of boys in Crete, where a high olive oil consumption is the norm. Seventy-six healthy rural Cretan boys aged 7-9 years were studied. The diet was assessed by a 2-day dietary recall. Blood was collected according to a standardized protocol and sera were analyzed in a rigidly standardized laboratory. The mean daily intake of energy was 11.0 MJ (2629 kcal). The intake of fat (45.0% of energy) and oleic acid (27.2% of energy) was high, and that of saturated fat low (10.0% of energy), reflecting a high consumption of olive oil. The high consumption of olive oil was confirmed by a high proportion of oleic-acid (27.1%) in serum cholesteryl fatty acids. Mean concentration of serum total cholesterol was 4.42 mmol l-1 (171 mg dl-1), of HDL-cholesterol 1.40 mmol l-1 (54 mg dl-1), of serum triglycerides 0.59 mmol l-1 (52 mg dl-1), of apo-AI 1210 mg l-1 and of LDL apo-B 798 mg l-1. The body mass index of the Cretan boys (18.2 kg m-2) was on average 2 kg m-2 higher than that of boys from other countries. Contrary to our expectation, the Cretan boys did not show a more favourable serum lipoprotein pattern than boys from more westernized countries studied previously using the same protocol. Our hypothesis that a typical, olive-oil-rich Cretan diet causes a relatively high HDL- to total cholesterol ratio is not supported by the present findings.

Osmotic fragility of peripheral blood lymphocytes in some lymphoproliferative disorders.

We have studied the osmotic fragility of lymphocytes in patients with chronic lymphocytic leukaemia, non-Hodgkin's lymphoma and infectious mononucleosis. It was found that these lymphocytes had a greater osmotic fragility than the normal ones of healthy controls.