Test of effect of lipid lowering by diet on cardiovascular risk. The Minnesota Coronary Survey.

The Minnesota Coronary Survey was a 4.5-year, open enrollment, single end-time double-blind, randomized clinical trial that was conducted in six Minnesota state mental hospitals and one nursing home. It involved 4393 institutionalized men and 4664 institutionalized women. The trial compared the effects of a 39% fat control diet (18% saturated fat, 5% polyunsaturated fat, 16% monounsaturated fat, 446 mg dietary cholesterol per day) with a 38% fat treatment diet (9% saturated fat, 15% polyunsaturated fat, 14% monounsaturated fat, 166 mg dietary cholesterol per day) on serum cholesterol levels and the incidence of myocardial infarctions, sudden deaths, and all-cause mortality. The mean duration of time on the diets was 384 days, with 1568 subjects consuming the diet for over 2 years. The mean serum cholesterol level in the pre-admission period was 207 mg/dl, falling to 175 mg/dl in the treatment group and 203 mg/dl in the control group. For the entire study population, no differences between the treatment and control groups were observed for cardiovascular events, cardiovascular deaths, or total mortality. A favorable trend for all these end-points occurred in some younger age groups.

Food group system of analysis with special attention to type and amount of fat--methodology.

A system for reporting dietary data in terms of food groups is described. The scheme was developed jointly by the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NHLBI) and the U.S. Department of Agriculture to identify food use patterns in various population groups. The system comprises 14 major groups and 75 minor groups based on major nutrient composition with special attention to fats. One-day dietary recalls from 5,640 participants in the Lipid Research Clinics (LRC) Prevalence Study were analyzed to determine the frequency of food group usage by males and females in age groups 6 to 9, 10 to 19, 20 to 59, and 60 and older. Food group use is reported as percent of the population reporting use as obtained by the dietary recall as well as the average number of times each food group was mentioned by the users. LRC food selection patterns are compared with the Dietary Guidelines. Findings in this report indicate that, for the LRC population, some of the foods emphasized in the guidelines are not eaten with a high degree of frequency.

Food choices among white adolescents: the Lipid Research Clinics Prevalence Study.

Food groups have been widely used in nutrition education but relatively few studies have employed food groups to interpret dietary intake. The 24-h dietary recalls of 534 male and 476 female adolescents, aged 10-19 yr, were analyzed using a food grouping scheme. Foods were grouped with emphasis placed on fats and carbohydrates. Frequency of use and contribution of food groups to the macronutrients were determined. When nutrient intake was analyzed as a percentage of total calories, both males and females were found to have similar profiles. More than 60% of each macronutrient was contributed by combinations of three major food groups. The meat/fish/poultry, milk/cheese/yogurt, and bread/cereal products food groups contributed 81.2% of the protein; milk/cheese/yogurt, bread/cereal products and sweets accounted for 63.0% of the carbohydrate intake; and 74.3% of the dietary fat consumption was attributable to the meat/fish/poultry, milk/cheese/yogurt, and fats food groups. There were no notable differences in the food groups used by males and females. However, differences between the sexes emerged when nutrient intakes as a percentage of calories were stratified and food group usage was investigated. Food groups associated with macronutrients that are believed to affect health status have been identified.