[The Mediterranean diet improves the profile of male smokers compared with the diet recommended by the American Cholesterol Program (NCEP-I)].
BACKGROUND
A study of the effect of smokers' diets on their atherogenic lipidic profile.


METHODS
41 healthy males (32 non-smokers and 9 smokers) consumed consecutively a diet low in fat and rich in carbohydrates (28% total fat content < 10% saturated fats, and 57% carbohydrates), and a diet rich in monounsaturated fatty acids (38% total fat content with 22% monounsaturated fats). At the end of each dietary period, adhesion was confirmed by quantification of LDL cholesterol esters, plasma lipids and insulin levels.


RESULTS
There were no significant differences between the age or the body mass of the groups of smokers or non-smokers. After both diets tobacco was found to have a significant effect on triglyceride levels (p < 0.0007), HDLc (p < 0.007), apo A-I (p < 0.02) and the LDLc/HDLc ratio (p < 0.005), revealing an interaction between diet and both HDLc levels (p < 0.004) and LDLc/HDLc ratios (p < 0.003). With the low fat and high monounsaturated fatty acid content diets smokers presented higher triglyceride levels (both with p < 0.0002) and LDLc/HDLc ratios (p < 0.0002 and p < 0.05, respectively) and lower levels of apo A-I (p < 0.002 and p < 0.004, respectively). However, in smokers the HDLc levels were only reduced after the low fat diet (p < 0.0003) and after the diet with a high monounsaturated fat content there was a rise in HDLc levels (p < 0.02) and a drop in the LDLc/HDLc ratio (p < 0.005) compared to the group of non-smokers. There were no significant differences in the insulin levels between groups.


CONCLUSIONS
The atherogenic lipidic profile of smokers is due to an effect of tobacco on the lipidic metabolism. This atherogenic profile is accentuated with a low fat diet rich in carbohydrates and can be rectified to some degree with a diet with a high monounsaturated fatty acid content.
Sánchez
E
E
Unidad de Lípidos y Arteriosclerosis, Hospital Universitario Reina Sofía, Córdoba.
Jansen
S
S
Castro
P
P
Blanco
A
A
López-Miranda
J
J
Fuentes
F
F
López-Segura
F
F
Blanco
J
J
Jiménez-Perepérez
J
J
Pérez-Jiménez
F
F
D000328:Adult; D001053:Apolipoproteins / Q000097:blood*; D002784:Cholesterol / Q000097:blood*; D004032:Diet; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D012907:Smoking / Q000097:blood*; D014280:Triglycerides / Q000097:blood*
D001053:Apolipoproteins; D014280:Triglycerides; D002784:Cholesterol