title: Serum cholesterol and triglyceride reference ranges of twenty lipoprotein subclasses for healthy Japanese men and women.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  This epidemiological study was done to generate normal ranges for the cholesterol and triglyceride levels in serum lipoprotein subclasses isolated from healthy adults based on gender and menopausal status.
  
  
  METHODS
  Cholesterol and triglyceride levels in 20 lipoprotein subclasses as separated by high performance liquid chromatography were measured in serum obtained from 825 fasting healthy subjects (267 men, 558 women).
  
  
  RESULTS
  For serum cholesterol, 13.7% was found in very low density lipoprotein (VLDL) subclasses, 55.6% in low density lipoprotein (LDL) subclasses, and 30.4% in high density lipoprotein (HDL) subclasses. For serum triglycerides, these values were 52.1%, 27.9%, and 17.4%, respectively. Levels of cholesterol in some VLDL subclasses were inversely correlated with the levels of some HDL subclasses, while for triglycerides, elevated levels in any one subclass were generally strongly associated with elevated levels in all other subclasses. Men had significantly higher large VLDL-cholesterol levels than women (P < 0.05), while women had significantly higher small VLDL-cholesterol levels than men (P < 0.001). Women had significantly higher large LDL- and large and medium HDL-cholesterol levels than men (P < 0.001). Men had significantly higher chylomicron (CM), large and medium VLDL-, and small LDL-triglyceride levels than women (P < 0.001). Women had significantly higher very large and large HDL-triglyceride levels than men (P < 0.01). Postmenopausal women had significantly higher CM, all VLDL, and large, medium and small LDL-cholesterol levels, and significantly higher all VLDL, LDL, and HDL-triglyceride levels than premenopausal women (P < 0.001).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Our data document important gender and menopausal status differences in cholesterol and triglyceride subclass levels, as well as significant correlations between values in the various serum lipoprotein subclasses.
authors.affiliation: Department of General Internal Medicine, Kyushu University Hospital, 3-1-1 Maidashi, Higashi-Ku, Fukuoka 812-8582, Japan. Electronic address: furusyo@gim.med.kyushu-u.ac.jp.
authors.forename: Norihiro
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Furusyo
authors.forename: Masumi
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Ai
authors.forename: Mitsuyo
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Okazaki
authors.forename: Hiroaki
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Ikezaki
authors.forename: Takeshi
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Ihara
authors.forename: Takeo
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Hayashi
authors.forename: Satoshi
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Hiramine
authors.forename: Kazuya
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Ura
authors.forename: Takuji
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Kohzuma
authors.forename: Ernst J
authors.initials: EJ
authors.lastname: Schaefer
authors.forename: Jun
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Hayashi
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D002784:Cholesterol / Q000097:blood*; D002851:Chromatography, High Pressure Liquid; D005260:Female; D064368:Healthy Volunteers; D006801:Humans; D007564:Japan; D008074:Lipoproteins / Q000097:blood*; D008297:Male; D008593:Menopause; D008875:Middle Aged; D010316:Particle Size; D012016:Reference Values; D012737:Sex Factors; D014280:Triglycerides / Q000097:blood*
chemical_list: D008074:Lipoproteins; D014280:Triglycerides; D002784:Cholesterol
keywords: CHD; CM; Cholesterol; FPG; Gender; General population; HDL; HPLC; HbA1c; High performance liquid chromatography; KOPS; Kyushu and Okinawa Population Study; LDL; Lipoprotein subclasses; Menopause; NMR; Triglycerides; VLDL; chylomicrons; coronary heart disease; fasting plasma glucose; glycosylated hemoglobin A1c; high density lipoproteins; high performance liquid chromatography; low density lipoproteins; nuclear magnetic resonance; very low density lipoproteins