Dietary and serum lipids in individuals with spinal cord injury living in the community

A cross-sectional study of 189 community-dwelling persons with spinal cord injury (SCI) (a) assessed levels of dietary and serum lipids, (b) determined the proportion of persons whose levels were out of the recommended/desired range, and (c) identified predictors of dietary and serum lipids. Lipid levels were out of range for a substantial proportion of the sample. Older persons were likely to have higher serum cholesterol and higher triglyceride levels than younger persons. Men tended to have higher intake of dietary cholesterol and lower levels of HDL than women. Caucasians and Hispanic-Americans tended to have higher triglycerides than African-Americans. Persons who had lived with SCI less time tended to have higher saturated fat intake and higher triglycerides than those who had lived with it longer. Greater saturated fat intake was associated with higher serum cholesterol after controlling for age. Studies are needed that test the effectiveness of various interventions on controlling dietary and serum lipids for persons with SCI.