HDL phosphatidyl choline and cigarette smoking.

The influence of cigarette smoking on the concentration of HDL phosphatidyl choline was tested in 1,546 male and 778 female employees in Westfalia, and the results were compared with the influence of cigarette smoking on the concentration of HDL cholesterol. Three subgroups were established for comparison: non-smokers = persons who had never smoked; ex-smokers = persons who had in the past been smokers but were now non-smokers; and smokers = persons who at present smoked cigarettes. Neither male nor female smokers proved to have different HDL phosphatidyl choline values when compared to non-smokers or ex-smokers, whereas male and female smokers were found to have decreased HDL cholesterol values when compared to non-smokers (p less than 0.01) or ex-smokers (p less than 0.05). In female smokers a correlation was found between HDL phosphatidyl choline values and the number of cigarettes smoked every day (r = -0.12, p less than 0.05).