ABSTRACT
The effects of dietary cholesterol effects on plasma lipoproteins have been an area of controversy in human nutrition. Diet is the most important environmental variable affecting the plasma lipoprotein spectrum and ischemic heart disease risk. Cardiovascular disease (CVD) constitutes one of the most important health problems in North America and accounts not only for the most deaths, but also for the greatest proportion of lost future earnings, the largest number of hospital days, and the greatest number of pharmaceutical prescriptions per year of any major disease. The major Polyunsaturated fatty acids found in human diets has a net low density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol lowering effect which is approximately half of the LDL raising effect of saturated fatty acids. Hepatic cholesterol may also be repackaged into lipoproteins in the Very low-density lipoproteins spectrum. Cholesterol feeding may be associated with changes in LDL composition as well as particle number.
