Serum Cholesterol Concentrations of Various Ethnic Groups in Hawaii

Abstract

Fats in the diets of the various ethnic groups among University of Hawaii students (Japanese, Chinese, Caucasian) provide approximately 40% of the total caloric intake by each group. The serum cholesterol and lipid phosphorus concentrations for various ancestry groups in adult Honolulu men (Caucasian, Chinese, Filipino, Japanese, Hawaiian) were essentially the same in all groups with some exceptions: in the 20 to 39 age group, Honolulu Filipinos had lower serum cholesterol and lipid phosphorus than the other groups, and the Chinese had higher serum cholesterol than the Japanese. The Chinese and Japanese values for all ages were as high as or higher than the corresponding values for Caucasians. Filipino plantation workers over 40 years old living in a rural environment on the island of Lanai had significantly lower serum cholesterol and lipid phosphorus concentrations than did Honolulu Filipinos. The increase in the Lanai Filipino cholesterol concentrations after age 30 was appreciably less than that observed for all of the Honolulu groups. Serum cholesterol concentrations of Thai residents of Bangkok were approximately equivalent to those of the Lanai Filipinos. Values for farmers in Chiengmai (northern Thailand) were lower than for the Bangkok Thai. The relative constancy of cholesterol concentration with age was also observed in the Thai samples from both locations. The data support the viewpoint that the frequently observed increase of serum cholesterol with age is not obligatory but is attributable to environmental hypercholesterolemic influences. There was good correlation between serum lipid phosphorus and serum cholesterol concentrations in all groups. The cholesterol/lipid phosphorus ratio was higher in the Thai serum samples than in the Hawaii sera. These results are consistent with the view that race is of negligible influence in determining serum cholesterol concentrations, whereas undetermined environmental factors are of great influence.