In this two-phase crossover study, 39 hypercholesterolemic subjects followed a 
prudent diet with either lean red meat or fish and skinless chicken (treatment 
groups), and 13 subjects (reference group) followed their habitual diet. Fasting 
blood samples were analyzed for plasma total cholesterol, triacylglycerol (TAG), 
high density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C), low density lipoprotein one- and 
two-cholesterol, apolipoprotein-B, very low density lipoprotein cholesterol, and 
very low density lipoprotein TAG, and fatty acid composition of plasma TAG and 
cholesteryl ester (CE). Body mass and blood pressure were determined. Seven-day 
dietary records were kept once at baseline and twice during the treatment 
periods. Significant differences were observed in dietary intake between the 
baseline and treatment diets and between the two treatment diets. HDL-C (P < 
0.05) and diastolic blood pressure (P < 0.01) were higher in patients on the red 
meat diet than in those on the chicken-fish diet. No other significant 
differences in lipoproteins were observed between the effects of the two 
treatment diets. The linoleic acid (%), eicosapentaenoic acid (%), and the 
eicosapentaenoic acid/arachidonic acid ratios in TAG and CE were higher (P < 
0.01) in subjects on the chicken-fish diet than in those on the red meat diet. 
In conclusion, this study showed that the effect of two lipid-lowering diets 
containing either lean red meat or skinless chicken and fish on the atherogenic 
lipoproteins did not differ significantly. A prudent diet with skinless chicken 
and fish, however, had a more favorable effect on the fatty acid composition of 
the plasma TAG and the CE than did the lean red meat diet.