Relationship between serum cholesteryl ester composition, dietary habits and coronary risk factors in middle-aged men.

Serum cholesteryl palmitate, oleate, linoleate and arachidonate were measured using high performance liquid chromatography in 134 men aged 45-64 years, randomly selected from the population of Ghent, Belgium. No relationship was observed between these cholesteryl esters, expressed as a percentage of their total, and age, serum cholesterol, arterial blood pressure, smoking habits and body mass index. Dietary habits were assessed using a 3-day diary method. No relationship was found between dietary habits and serum lipids. Highly significant correlations were observed between diet and the serum cholesteryl esters. In multivariate analyses dietary variables account for significant proportions of the variances of the serum cholesteryl esters. The results indicate that measurements of cholesteryl esters can be used to differentiate on the population level between subgroups with different dietary habits particularly with respect to fat consumption.