Lipoprotein profile in elderly persons from northwestern
Spain consuming the Atlantic diet, a variant of the
Mediterranean diet
M. Trinidad Garcı´a-Arias
a
, M. Pilar Vaquero
b,
*,
M. Carmen Garcı´a-Linares
a
, M. Camino Garcı´a-Ferna´ndez
a
,
Francisco J. Sa´nchez-Muniz
c
a
Instituto de Ciencia y Tecnologı´a de los Alimentos, Universidad de Leo´n, Leo´n, Spain
b
Departamento de Metabolismo y Nutricio´n, Instituto del Frı´o, CSIC, Jose´ Antonio Novais 10, 28040
Madrid, Spain
c
Departamento de Nutricio´n, Universidad Complutense, Madrid, Spain
Received 19 March 2003; received in revised form 20 July 2003; accepted 25 July 2003
Abstract
To screen some cardiovascular risk factors in institutionalized elderly persons of the Spanish
Northwest who consume the Atlantic variant of the Mediterranean diet, rich in vegetables, fruit, meat,
fish, olive oil and dairy products, anthropometric and dietary measurements were carried out and
serum glucose and lipoprotein values were determined in 94 subjects. Men consumed significantly
more legumes, fruit, meat, alcohol and precooked foods but fewer vegetables than women. Significant
positive correlations were found between total fat and MUFA consumption and HDL-cholesterol. Fish
intake correlated negatively with total cholesterol (TC) and LDL-cholesterol. The prevalence of high
TC, LDL-cholesterol, triglyceride and TC/HDL-cholesterol levels was 29%, 37%, 21%, 25% respec-
tively, and that of low HDL-cholesterol was 15%. Women displayed a higher prevalence of dysli-
pemia, with significantly higher TC and higher LDL-cholesterol levels than men. Fifty percent of the
women aged 75-80 presented concurrent hyperglycemia, excess weight and hypertriglyceridemia,
predisposing them to the metabolic syndrome. Nonetheless, as regards the lipoprotein profile, the
Atlantic diet appears appropriate for most institutionalized elderly persons. © 2003 Elsevier Inc. All
rights reserved.
Keywords: Elderly; Dietary intake; Cardiovascular risk factors; Lipoproteins; Mediterranean diet; Metabolic
syndrome
* Corresponding author. Tel.: ϩ34-915-490038; fax: ϩ34-915-493627.
E-mail address: mpvaquero@if.csic.es (M.P. Vaquero).
www.elsevier.com/locate/nutres
Nutrition Research 23 (2003) 1607–1618
0271-5317/03/$ – see front matter © 2003 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
doi:10.1016/j.nutres.2003.07.001