Acute effect of dietary therapy of type IV hyperlipoproteinaemia on the serum and lipoprotein concentrations and relative composition.

In a detailed study the acute effect of diet and hospital admission on the plasma and lipoprotein lipid concentrations and composition was studied in 28 patients with type IV hyperlipoproteinaemia. Within 6 days there were significant falls in the mean serum cholesterol and triglycerides, very low density lipoprotein (VLDL) cholesterol and triglycerides and in high density lipoprotein triglycerides. These changes were accompanied by a significant rise in the mean low density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol concentrations. Using multiple regession models highly significant predictions of the change in VLDL triglyceride (R2 = 0.71) and LDL cholesterol (R2 = 0.47) were obtained utilising the pre-treatment lipoprotein levels as independant variables. Since elevated LDL cholesterol concentations are associated with atherosclerotic disease such models may have important therapeutic applications.