American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, Vol 7, 702-710, Copyright © 1959 by The American Society for Clinical Nutrition, Inc.

Serum Total Cholesterol Values in Men of the Armed Forces of the Philippines

¹ From the Department of Biochemistry, College of Medicine, University of the Philippines, Manila, Philippines

The serum cholesterol levels of 351 enlisted men nineteen to fifty-eight years of age (average age 30.4 years), selected at random from the Armed Forces of the Philippines, were found to vary from 73 to 274 mg. per 100 ml. with a mean of 169.7 ± 33.5 (S. D.) A group of fifty-two men aged eighteen to forty years (average age 27.6 years), who were selected for special biochemical studies by the survey team, gave a range of serum total cholesterol values of from 98 to 353 mg. per 100 ml. with a mean of 180.4 ± 43.2 (S. D.).

The dietary survey showed that in the mess halls, fat supplied a mean of 13.9 per cent of the total dietary calories which averaged 3,068 per capita. Mean values give the impression that the fat is contributed almost equally from animal and vegetable sources. The diet of twenty-eight enlisted men taking their meals at home gave a mean of 16.9 per cent of total calories supplied by fat. The low fat content of the diet may have a bearing on the relatively low serum cholesterol levels obtained in this study compared to those reported for populations in the United States and northern Europe.

Statistical study of the data of both the random and non-random groups showed significant increases of serum total cholesterol values with increases in age over the range of eighteen to fifty-eight years, and with increases in diastolic blood pressure, relative body weight and serum carotene levels.

No correlation was obtained between serum total cholesterol and systolic blood pressure, serum vitamin A or hemoglobin levels.