Relationship between High Density Lipoprotein Subtractions and Coronary Risk Factors in a Rural White Population

The relationship of serum high density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C) levels and of the HDL2-C and HDL3-C subtractions to several factors associated with coronary risk was examined in a cross-sectional study, which included 655 men and 731 women ages 20 to 64 years. Participants with coronary heart disease (CHD) had lower levels of HDL-C, HDL2-C, and HDL3-C; however, only HDL-C in women was significant. Maleness, body mass index, triglyceride levels, tobacco use, and carbohydrate intake (in men) were significantly inversely related to total HDL-C, while alcohol intake was significantly positively related to HDL-C. The associations were stronger for HDL2-C than for HDL3-C, except that alcohol intake in men was more strongly related to HDL3-C. The findings of this study suggest that several factors that influence CHD risk do so in part through modifying HDL2-C levels. (Arteriosclerosis 10:1026-1031, November/December 1990)