dyslipidemia may cause complications such as stroke , kidney failure , coronary heart disease , and atherosclerosis . high concentrations of triglyceride - rich lipoproteins , and apolipoprotein b in infants with a low gestational age ; and increase of apo c-1 rich in high - density lipoprotein ( hdl ) with low birth weight are potential risk factors for cardiovascular disease in the future . it is suggested that the decreasing activity of the lipoprotein lipase , hepatic lipase and lecithin - cholesterol acyltransferase enzymes in preterm infants might lead to high concentrations of lipoproteins . a study in spain reported that the cord blood hdl - cholesterol ( hdl - c ) level was lower in premature than in term newborns , but very low - density lipoprotein ( vldl ) levels were higher in preterm than in term newborns . in a study in japan , cord blood samples of preterm newborns had higher concentrations of vldl , ldl - cholesterol ( ldl - c ) , and hdl - c subclasses compared with their term counterparts . reported that the concentrations of total cholesterol , ldl - c , hdl - c , and apolipoprotein - b were higher in preterm- than in full - term newborns . a previous study in iran showed that the total cholesterol and hdl - c of female newborns were higher than in male newborns . limited experience exists on the difference of the cord blood concentrations according to the gestational age . the aim of this investigation is to compare the cord blood lipid concentration in term , late preterm and preterm newborns in a sample of iranian neonates . this cross - sectional study was conducted in 2013 among 100 neonates in isfahan , iran . neonates with a gestational age of 37 weeks were considered as term , those with gestational age of < 34 weeks as preterm , and those with 34 gestational age < 37 weeks , as late preterm neonates . newborns were selected by simple sampling from the maternity ward of shaheed beheshti teaching hospital , affiliated to isfahan university of medical sciences in isfahan , the second large city in iran . immediately after delivery , 2 ml of cord blood was collected from the fetal part of the umbilical cord . cord blood was allowed clot and then stored at 20c until analysis in < 1 month . lipid profile and apolipoproteins a and b were analyzed in milad laboratory by autoanalyzer ( hitachi 911 , japan ) . chicago , il , usa ) was used for statistical analysis using one - way analysis of variance . cord blood concentrations of triglycerides , total cholesterol and ldl - c were significantly different in term , late preterm , and preterm newborns [ table 1 ] . term infants had the highest level of triglycerides ( 47.03 mg / dl ) , whereas preterm infants had its lowest concentration ( 61.69 mg / dl ) . our analysis showed that in each three groups under study , the difference of total cholesterol level was significant . the lowest amount of cholesterol content was documented in term infants ( 72.51 mg / dl ) . no significant difference existed in the mean level of hdl - c , apolipoprotein a and apolipoprotein b levels in the three studied groups ( p > 0.05 ) . the present study demonstrated that the term infants had the highest concentration of cord blood triglycerides . the highest amount of cholesterol in cord blood was documented in late preterm infants . in the total study group , no significant difference existed in the mean of hdl , apolipoprotein a and apolipoprotein b levels . lipid profile is a marker of an underlying cardiovascular status , and direct correlation exists between the abnormalities in lipid profile and incidence of many chronic diseases . among various factors theorized in the development of atherosclerosis , increased plasma levels of cholesterol and or triglycerides are considered to be of most important factors . atherosclerosis begins early in life , and the studies conducted on cord blood lipid profile had inconsistent findings . some findings of the current study are not consistent with a previous study on cord blood cholesterol , which found higher cholesterol in preterm than in term newborns . in another study , preterm infants had a high level of cholesterol concentrations . in this investigation , we did not document significant difference in the mean cord blood level of hdl - c , apolipoprotein a and apolipoprotein b levels in the total study group . consistent with another investigation , the current study indicated that differences in the gestational age do not affect cord blood hdl - c level . a previous study showed that ldl - c concentrations decline from 30 - 33 to 42 weeks of gestation . our findings also demonstrated that term newborns had lower cord blood ldl - c concentration than preterm and late preterm infants , however the differences were not significant . haridas and acharya in their study concluded that preterm infant have higher triglycerides and total cholesterol levels , but statically significant difference was found only for total cholesterol . mathur et al . concluded that in preterm neonates , total cholesterol was significantly high . doneg et al . , reported that total cholesterol , ldl - c , and hdl - c levels of cord blood were significantly higher in preterm infants ; also the triglycerides content was lower in preterm neonates . , found that total cholesterl , ldl - c , and hdl - c of cord blood were higher in preterm neonates compared with term neonates , with statically significant difference in total cholesterol and ldl - c levels , but the corresponding figure was not significant for hdl - c . it is suggested that decrease of lipoprotein lipase , hepatic lipase , and lecithin cholesterol acyltransferase enzymes activity in preterm newborns might increase lipoprotein concentrations in preterm than in term infants . in addition to genetic factors that are of major determinants of lipid levels , fetal growth retardation might also establish a lifelong irreversible atherogenic profile , and the history of low birth weight , or preterm birth are associated with various risk factors including increase in apolipoprotein b levels . in our study , higher levels of triglycerides , total - cholesterol , and ldl - c in preterm and late preterm infants could be explained by the fact that preterm newborns lack both hepatic carbohydrate and subcutaneous adipose stores . increase in cord blood cholesterol level may reflect the metabolic adaptation to provide adequate energy , especially to vital organs like brain . given the early life origins of adult diseases , primordial and primary prevention should be emphasized . future longitudinal studies with long - term follow - up are necessary to verify the clinical implications of the current findings . future longitudinal studies with long - term follow - up are necessary to verify the clinical implications of the current findings . the present study assumes that cord blood lipid profile differs according to the gestational age . all authors contributed in the study design and conduct , as well as in drafting and revising the manuscript . all authors approved the final version of the paper , and take the responsibility for its content .
background : high concentrations of triglyceride - rich lipoproteins , and apolipoprotein b in newborns with low gestational age may increase the risk of cardiovascular diseases in the future . 
 we investigated the lipid profile in term , late preterm and preterm iranian infants.materials and methods : a total number of 99 term ( gestational age 37 weeks ) , preterm ( gestational age < 34 weeks ) , and late preterm ( 34 gestational age < 37 weeks ) newborns were studied . 
 total cholesterol , low - density lipoprotein - cholesterol ( ldl - c ) , high - density lipoprotein - cholesterol ( hdl - c ) , and triglycerides , as well as apolipoproteins a and b were analyzed using auto analyzer.results:significant differences existed between cord blood concentrations of triglycerides , total cholesterol , and ldl - c in the term , late preterm and preterm infants ( p < 0.05 ) . the highest ( 61.69 mg / dl ) and 
 lowest ( 47.03 mg / dl ) concentrations of triglycerides were documented in term and preterm newborns , respectively . 
 late preterm infants had the highest concentration of cord blood cholesterol . 
 the lowest amount of cholesterol was found in term newborns ( 72.51 mg / dl ) . 
 no significant difference existed in the mean of hdl - c and apolipoproteins in the studied groups ( p > 0.05).conclusion : in this study , the cord blood concentrations of cholesterol , triglycerides , and ldl - c were lower in term than in preterm and late preterm infants . 
 this finding should be considered in infant nutrition and preventive measures .