Interpopulation correlations between serum cholesterol level and the occurrence of coronary heart disease.

Epidemiological studies have established beyond any doubt that diet-related differences in the population distributions for serum total cholesterol (low density lipoprotein cholesterol) explain a large proportion of the interpopulation variation in the occurrence of coronary heart disease (CHD). These findings emphasize the central importance of appropriate dietary changes in the prevention of CHD in populations with high population mean levels for serum total cholesterol and high CHD rates. The possible contribution of differences in the population distributions for serum high density lipoprotein cholesterol to the interpopulation variation in the occurrence of CHD still remains an unsolved issue.