Association between HDL Cholesterol Levels and the Consumption of Vitamin A in Metabolically Healthy Obese Lebanese: A Cross-Sectional Study among Adults in Lebanon.

Objectives: Previous studies show the association between vitamin A and elevation of plasma triglyceride concentrations. However, limited information exists on the association between vitamin A and plasma HDL cholesterol concentrations. The aim of this study is to investigate the association between plasma HDL cholesterol levels and vitamin A intake in 57 metabolically healthy obese (MHO) Lebanese.

Methods: Out of the 112 adult obese participants who had completed anthropometric and biochemical data, 57 (22 males and 35 females) aged 18-62 years old are metabolically healthy and their data are included in this study. A valid semiquantitative food frequency questionnaire (SQFFQ) was used to test vitamin A intake among other antioxidants. The participants were recruited from the database of three dietary clinics across Lebanon.

Results: Pearson's correlation coefficient was used to measure the strength of the relationship between vitamin A and plasma HDL cholesterol levels. There was a significant positive correlation (P value = 0.0225) between vitamin A consumption and HDL cholesterol serum levels in obese participants; when vitamin A levels decrease, HDL levels decrease more in female than in male participants.

Conclusion: The association between dietary vitamin A, a powerful antioxidant, and high HDL levels is shown in MHO but should be further exploited in future studies.