Lipoprotein Lipid Response to the National Cholesterol Education Program Step II Diet by Hypercholesterolemic and Combined Hyperlipidemic Women and Men

The beFIT study tested whether teaching the NCEP step II diet (<30% of calories from total fat and <7% from saturated fat) is an effective therapy in hypercholesterolemic women and men with or without elevated triglycerides after 6 months. Hypercholesterolemic subjects had two LDL cholesterol measurements above the age- and sex-specific 75th percentile, and combined hyperlipidemic subjects additionally had similarly elevated triglyceride. Subjects were randomized to receive dietary intervention (eight weekly classes) immediately or 6 months later. Follow-up visits were quarterly, with lipid measurements and 4-day food records. Subjects randomized to delayed intervention did not report diet changes or experience lipid changes; the immediate intervention group significantly reduced fat and cholesterol intakes, resulting in significant LDL cholesterol lowering. Six months after diet instruction, 178 women and 231 men reported total and saturated fat intakes of ≈25% and 7.5% kcal. LDL cholesterol was significantly reduced in women (7.6% and 8.1%) and men (8.8% and 8.1%) with hypercholesterolemia and combined hyperlipidemia, respectively, but was not different by sex or lipid disorder. Candidates for drug therapy were reduced from between 27% and 37% to 20%. HDL cholesterol was significantly decreased in women (−6.4% and −4.7%) but not in men (−1.3% and −2.7%). The 6.4% reduction in hypercholesterolemic women was significantly different from that of men. The significance of the HDL cholesterol reduction in women is unknown. LDL cholesterol response was similar between women and men and between hypercholesterolemic and combined hyperlipidemic subjects. LDL cholesterol lowering by diet can significantly reduce the number of hyperlipidemic persons requiring drug therapy.