Diet, alcohol consumption, smoking and exercise as determinants of blood lipid levels of Nigerians.

Diet, alcohol consumption, smoking and exercise habits of randomly chosen 250 Nigerians were investigated by questionnaires. Most of the subjects, 67% were on carbohydrate diets, 50% were teetotal, 87.5% were non-smokers and 69% were not involved in exercise. The mean blood lipid levels of the Nigerians were within normal range, but much lower than the lipid levels of caucasians. It was concluded that the lifestyle of these Nigerians was largely responsible for the low levels of plasma lipids observed.