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.