The presence of apoC-III on HDL impairs HDL's inverse association with coronary heart disease (CHD). Little is known about modifiable factors explaining variation in HDL subspecies defined according to apoC-III. The aim was to investigate cross-sectional associations of anthropometry and lifestyle with HDL subspecies in 3,631 participants from the Diet, Cancer, and Health study originally selected for a case-cohort study (36% women; age 50–65 years) who were all free of CHD. Greater adiposity and less activity were associated with higher HDL containing apoC-III and lower HDL lacking apoC-III.
