Lipid profile of a French-Canadian population: 1. Association of plasma lipid and lipoprotein levels with age, relative body weight and education.

Plasma lipid and lipoprotein levels were determined in a randomly selected population of 1169 French-Canadian men in the Quebec City area. The mean levels of total plasma cholesterol and triglycerides were 224.0 and 166.5 mg/dL respectively. The mean level of low-density lipoprotein cholesterol was higher and the mean level of high-density lipoprotein (HDL) cholesterol lower than those reported in a recent study in English-Canadian men. The mean HDL2 and HDL3 levels were lower than those reported in American men. Stratification of plasma triglyceride levels for all age groups showed that mean HDL2 levels decreased rapidly with moderate rises in triglyceride levels. Less than 9% of the variation in lipid or lipoprotein levels was related to age or relative body weight. Education had no significant effect on the levels.