Obesity is a global, ever-increasing health problem. The interest in weight loss programs is obvious. The goal of weight reduction should be realistic, based on the patients' individual needs in order to improve their overall health. The aim of our work was to determine the distribution of cholesterol in the sub-fractions of lipoproteins in obese patients before reduction therapy.

Patients were recruited at nutrition clinic of Svet Zdravia (Košice) and undergoing medical examinations at the cardiological ambulance, 1^st Department of Internal Medicine, Pavol Jozef Šafárik University in Košice, Slovakia. The study group consisted of 5 obese women aged 37 ± 7 years with an average BMI value of 33.4 ± 2.9. The results were compared to control group individuals (n=5), women aged 36 ± 13 years with an average BMI value of 20.0 ± 0.5. The analysis of the cholesterol in low-density lipoprotein and high-density lipoprotein sub-particles was performed by Lipoprint® Lipoprotein Subfractions Testing System. Statistical analysis was performed using SPSS Statistics 22 (IBM).

There were no significant differences in glucose, total cholesterol, low-density lipoprotein-cholesterol (LDL-C) and triglyceride values between obese and non-obese individuals. However, detailed analysis of cholesterol in the lipoprotein sub-fractions proved statistically significant differences in large (1 to 3) and intermediate (3 to 7) high-density lipoprotein (HDL) sub-fractions. A significant correlation was detected between cholesterol in large HDL sub-fractions and body weight, BMI, waist-to-hip ratio; between very low-density lipoprotein fraction and weight; intermediate-density lipoprotein-cholesterol in all fractions (A, B, and C) and waist to hip ratio; large LDL 1 fraction and body shape index.

Weight loss therapy should be under the supervision of an experienced physician with detailed information about the patient's health. Taking into account the prevalence of atherogenic dyslipidemia in obesity, monitoring of cholesterol according to the latest knowledge of lipids and lipoproteins is recommended.

Key words: obesity, cholesterol, lipoprotein, weight reduction