Studies in serum lipids, with special reference to spontaneous variations and the effect of short-term dietary changes

Repeated measurements of the fasting and 2-hour postprandial serum lipids (cholesterol, phospholipid, and triglyceride) of "normal" [see table in the PDF file] subjects and subjects with atherosclerotic heart disease when consuming diets of high-, low-, or "normal"-fat content have been made. Triglyceride levels correlated better with the clinical diagnosis of heart disease than did cholesterol or phospholipid levels. The wide fluctuations in triglyceride levels in the same [see table in the PDF file] subject (normal or atherosclerotic) when on a "normal self-selected" diet and the unexpected findings when a short-term (3-day) period of dietary fat manipulation render the value of random triglyceride levels as an indictator of the presence or likely development of atherosclerotic heart disease of little or no value in the individual subject.