Background Much of the published data on the relationship of cigarette smoking (CS) with serum lipids and lipoproteins is based on studies of middle-aged individuals. Data on young men is rare. This study compared smokers and nonsmokers in terms of high-density-lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C) subfractions and lecithin: cholesterol acyltransferase activity among Japanese collegiate men.
Methods Twenty-six current smokers were individually matched for age and body mass index with 26 non-smokers.
Results The smokers smoked 12.2±5.8 (2 to 20) cigarettes per day at the time of the study and had been smoking for 3.1±1.7 (0.25 to 7.0) years. The distributions of physically active subjects and the mean values of METs·hour/week were not significantly different between the 2 groups. Smokers showed significantly higher log alcohol intake than the non-smokers. Smokers showed significantly higher HDL2-C and lower DL3-C than non-smokers. However, when the mean values were adjusted for log alcohol intake, smokers showed significantly lower HDL-C, HDL2-C, and apolipoprotein A-I than nonsmokers.
Conclusion These results suggest that the known associations of CS with HDL-C subfractions in older adults are already apparent in young men.
