The epidemiology of triglyceride as a coronary artery disease risk factor.

Triglyceride (TG) has long been associated as a risk factor for coronary artery disease. A recent meta-analysis of various epidemiologic studies has confirmed this link. An important issue is to assess further the appropriate cutpoints to classify desirable TG because recent data indicate that levels < 200 mg/dl confer elevated risk. The dietary habits of present hunter-gatherer populations reveal the impact of a Westernized diet on both TG and cholesterol and suggest that a desirable TG is < 100 mg/dl. The epidemiologic and observational data in support of this concept are explored.