Hydrogenated Fats and Serum Cholesterol Levels

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Abstract
In their article on hydrogenated fats and serum cholesterol levels, Lichtenstein et al. (June 24 issue)1 apparently did not consider variations in the ratio of polyunsaturated to saturated fatty acids (P:S) in the six experimental diets. The P:S ratio is well established as a mediator of serum cholesterol concentrations.2,3 Linear regression analysis shows that the P:S ratio in each of the five diets containing vegetable oil (calculated on the basis of data in Table 3 in the article by Lichtenstein et al.) explains considerably more of the variation in total cholesterol, low-density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol, and the ratio of LDL cholesterol to high-density lipoprotein cholesterol than does the amount of trans fatty acids in the diets ( Table 1 ). Including butter, which contains a small amount of trans fatty acids with different isomers, in the analysis weakens the calculated relations (data not shown) but does not alter the relatively greater importance of the P:S ratio as compared with the trans-fatty-acid content in the diets.