The Assessment of the Practical Use of Lipid Predictive Equations in a Diabetic Population
Open Access
- Author:
- Horton, Sarah Elizabeth
- Area of Honors:
- Biobehavioral Health
- Degree:
- Bachelor of Science
- Document Type:
- Thesis
- Thesis Supervisors:
- Sheila Grace West, Thesis Supervisor
David John Vandenbergh, Thesis Honors Advisor - Keywords:
- type 2 diabetes
cardiovascular disease
lipid predictive equation - Abstract:
- Type 2 diabetes is a major risk factor for cardiovascular disease (CVD). Both diseases are strongly linked to diet in terms of prevention and management. One major determinant of CVD risk is blood cholesterol levels. In the 1960s, Ancel Keys created an equation to predict a person’s blood cholesterol level based on changes in the amounts of saturated and unsaturated fat in their diet. Over the last 50 years, this equation has been reformulated to include the effects of individual fatty acids, trans fat, and total fat. The purpose of this study is to assess the validity of these equations in a population with type 2 diabetes, using the patients who were part of a separate controlled feeding study. The study assessed the patients’ habitual diets prior to beginning the study, an Average American Diet (AAD), and a Control diet. Fasting lipid profile values were taken before the start of the study and after the end of two weeks on the AAD. The participants’ blood lipid values, after controlled feeding, were compared to the values calculated using the nutrient analysis of the AAD and Control diets. The equations used started with the original Keys Equation and progressed through six subsequent equations to predict total cholesterol, low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C), and high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C). For all equations, the study results showed poor correlation between the predicted values and the patients’ actual values. This lack of correlation may have resulted from inaccurate self-reported calorie and nutrient intake before the controlled feeding period began. However, the performance of the equations was not improved when comparing lipid changes during the two controlled feeding periods. While the predictive equations were not useful in predicting the lipid profile in this population, the principles behind the equations are applicable in the standards of care for individuals with diabetes.