New Directions in Dietary Studies and Heart Disease: The National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute Sponsored Multicenter Study of Diet Effects on Lipoproteins and Thrombogenic Activity

Abstract

Although many clinical studies of dietary effects on plasma lipids and lipoproteins have been conducted during the past 30 years, significant issues remain to be clarified. Previous studies have often lacked adequate sample size and or dietary control, and the diets used have either been extreme in composition or comprised of liquid formulas. Additionally, most of the subjects studied to date have been young white males; very little is known about the relative efficacies of prudent diets in African Americans or in women. The issue of differential responsiveness to diet in pre- and post-menopausal females must also be addressed. Finally, almost nothing is known about the effects of diet on thrombotic factors and activity in humans. To address these issues, a National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute-sponsored multi-center study of the effects of varying levels of dietary saturated fat on plasma lipids, lipoproteins and thrombogenic activities is underway. It is the first of several studies to be conducted under this initiative.