Gender and racial differences in lipoprotein subclass distributions: the STRRIDE study.

Recent research has focused on the potential atherogenicity of various lipoprotein subclasses and their link to coronary heart disease (CHD) risk. This investigation seeks to identify differences in lipoprotein subclass distributions among a biracial, middle-aged population, while controlling for a number of confounding risk factors. Fasting plasma samples were analyzed in 285 sedentary, mildly dyslipidemic, overweight individuals between 40 and 65 years with no known history of CHD or diabetes. Women had lower levels of small and medium LDL, medium VLDL, large VLDL, and small HDL with a much higher concentration of large HDL than men. Whites had significantly more IDL, small LDL, medium VLDL, and large VLDL with lower levels of large LDL than blacks. HDL and LDL size were larger among blacks and women; VLDL size was greater among whites and men. There was also a trend for men to have more LDL particles than women and whites to have a higher LDL particle concentration than blacks. Within this homogenous population, there were distinct differences between gender and racial groups. Blacks and women had less atherogenic profiles than whites and men, which was not evident from the standard lipid panel.