Dyslipidaemia of indigenous Australians characterized by low HDL cholesterol level and small LDL particles

This community-based cross-sectional study was carried out in 1995-1997 in order to characterise lipid profiles among Australian Aboriginal people and Torres Strait Islanders. A total of 407 female and 322 male Australian Aboriginal people and 207 female and 186 male Torres Strait Islanders over 15 years old were compared to 78 female and 148 male non-indigenous participants. Diabetes was prevalent among 14.8% of Aboriginal people and 22.6% of Torres Strait Islanders. Compared to nondiabetic, non-indigenous women, LDL size was significantly smaller in nondiabetic Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander women. LDL size was inversely correlated with triglycerides, waist-to-hip ratio, and fasting insulin, and positively correlated with HDL cholesterol (C). Furthermore, HDL-C was significantly lower in indigenous Australians when compared to non-indigenous subjects. In conclusion, indigenous Australians have numerous traits characteristic of atherogenic dyslipidaemia, including small LDL and very low HDL-C levels. Therefore, strategies directed at promoting reverse cholesterol transport through HDL-C and increasing the proportion of large LDL and/or decreasing overall LDL number might reduce high cardiovascular disease risk in indigenous populations.

Abstract

Keywords:
Atherogenic dyslipidaemia – Diabetes – Dyslipidaemia – HDL-C – LDL particle size – LDL size