Black-white differences in plasma lipids and lipoproteins in adults: The Cincinnati lipid research clinic population study

Abstract

Black—white lipoprotein differences were studied in 43 pairs of adult males and 51 pairs of adult females to test the hypothesis that in a heterogeneous suburban biethnic setting, blacks have higher levels of high density lipoprotein cholesterol (C-HDL), lower levels of low density lipoprotein cholesterol (C-LDL), and lower levels of triglyceride (TG) when pair-matched by total plasma cholesterol, age, and sex with whites. With essentially identical total plasma cholesterol levels and comparable degrees of ponderosity, black males had lower plasma TG ( P < 0.05) and higher plasma C-HDL levels ( P < 0.005). There were no significant male black—white differences in C-LDL, but the ratio of C-LDL to C-HDL was lower in black males ( P < 0.01). There were no significant differences in any lipoprotein fractions or the C-LDL/C-HDL ratio between black and white females, although black females had slightly lower plasma TG and slightly higher C-HDL than white females.