This paper attempted to determine the contribution of dyslipidemia to the increased coronary heart disease (CHD) susceptibility of South Asians. The authors analyzed the lipid profile of 294 rural Indians and 242 of their migrant contemporaries living in Britain to investigate which measures of lipid metabolism were more predictive of CHD risk in this population. Serum triglyceride levels were reported as the only consistent variable which discriminated metabolic and CHD risk compared to other lipid and lipoprotein measures within this South Asian population. Moreover, apolipoprotein B concentrations were a strong indicator of a raised CHD score. Finally, individuals with raised triglycerides also had higher total cholesterol and apolipoprotein B levels, lower HDL cholesterol, smaller LDL particles and more oxidized LDL cholesterol, irrespective of site. These findings suggest that the measurement of fasting triglycerides should be considered as part of primary prevention screening strategies for CHD within South Asians.
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