Regulation of plasma low density lipoprotein levels in postmenopausal women

To study the regulation of plasma low density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol in postmenopausal women (n=79), fasting plasma lipids and lipoproteins, the fractional catabolic rate (FCR) and production rate for LDL apolipoprotein B (apo B), cholesterol absorption, apolipoprotein E phenotype and polymorphisms of the apo B and 7α-hydroxylase genes were determined. The level of LDL cholesterol was related to FCR (r=−0.757, P<0.001) and the production (r=0.531, P<0.001) of LDL apo B and body mass index (r=0.265, P<0.05). In contrast, cholesterol absorption efficiency, apolipoprotein E phenotype, EcoRI and XbaI polymorphisms of the apo B gene and the polymorphism of 7α-hydroxylase gene were found to have no significance for the regulation of LDL cholesterol concentration in these postmenopausal women.