Improved plasma cholesterol levels in men after a nutrition education program at the worksite

Eighty management-level male employees participated in a company-sponsored comprehensive physical that included determination of plasma total cholesterol, low-density lipoprotein cholesterol, high-density lipoprotein cholesterol, and triglyceride levels and percentage of body fat. After the lipid screening, each employee met with a registered dietitian who explained the results of the lipid analysis and discussed risk factors for coronary heart disease with an emphasis on diet. Seventy employees had a triglyceride level above 5.17 mmol/L and were invited to participate in a nutrition educational program. Thirty-three (mean age = 44 years) chose to participate (intervention group); the other 37 (mean age = 35 years) served as controls (control group). Thus, the design of the study was not random. All subjects completed 3-day dietary records before and after the nutrition educational program. Nutrition intervention consisted of (a) individualized instruction about the step 1 diet; (b) group sessions (1 hour every 3 months) on eating out, dietary fiber, and maintaining heart healthy behaviors; and (c) individualized follow-up by telephone (one call per month). The results of the year-long program revealed that men in the intervention group decreased dietary intake of energy (2,546±162 kcal to 2,246±125 kcal) and cholesterol (444±5.3 mg to 304±1.6 mg) and percentage of energy from total fat (38±3.4% to 31±2.6%) and protein (24±3.5% to 20±2.2%). Their consumption of carbohydrate and dietary fiber increased (38±2.1% to 45±2.5% and 8.0±2.3 g to 23.0±3.5 g, respectively). Significant reductions in plasma total cholesterol (6.15±0.17 mmol/L to 5.43±0.16 mmol/L), triglycerides (1.68±0.87 mmol/L to 1.49±0.67 mmol/L), body weight (86±2.3 kg to 81±1.6 kg), and body fat (24±3.5% to 21±3.5%) were also observed in the men in the intervention group. The decrease in low-density lipoprotein cholesterol was not significant (4.30±1.17 mmol/L to 4.00±1.08 mmol/L). The worksite provides many opportunities for dietetics professionals to conduct nutrition education programs to decrease risk factors associated with coronary heart disease.