Serum Cholesterol Level and its Association with their Fats and Cholesterol Intake.

ABSTRACT Cholesterol and particularly LDL-c is one of the most important risk factors of cordiovascular disease. The most important environmental factor that influence this anomaly is nutritional status. The aim of this Cross-Sectional study was determination of the level of serum cholesterol and its association with fats and cholesterol intake. we selected 628 men and women aged 35-65 years old in Tehran. The results indicated that, the level of total cholesterol and LDL-c in 59% of the population was less than 200 and 130 mg/dl respectively. The level of HDL-c in 63.6% of women and 81.9% of men was below 40 mg/dl, so that the LDL-c/HDL-c ratio which is a predictor of cardiovascular disease increased. The nutritional status indicated that more than 50% of the population consumed daily, more than 75 gr of total fats, which 2/3 of this fat constituted from saturated fats. the cholesterol intake in 90% of the population was less than 300 mg/day. We observed no significant association between serum lipids and fats and cholesterol intake. We concluded that less than 10% of the population suffer from hypercholesterolemia, but the decrease of HDL-c is remarkable and can be considered as an important risk factor for cardiovascular disease in Iranian population.