Factors affecting the relationship between childhood and adult cholesterol levels: the Muscatine Study.

A group of 2,446 subjects initially examined at 8 to 18 years of age were reexamined as young adults of 20 to 25 or 26 to 30 years of age. Measurements of cholesterol, height, weight, and triceps skinfold thickness were obtained during childhood. Lipids, lipoprotein fractions, and family history, as well as medication, alcohol, and tobacco use, were determined during the adult examination. Elevated levels of cholesterol during childhood were associated with elevation in adult life. Obesity acquired in adolescence and the young adult years, oral contraceptive use, and cigarette smoking had deleterious effects on adult cholesterol levels and lipoprotein fractions.