Objectives: To assess current status of serum lipid levels in healthy inhabitants of China and their secular trend in the past 5 decades. Methods: The authors reviewed the contemporary literature (studies published between 1959 and 2002; bibliographies of reviews and original articles). Articles were included if they were following a standardized protocol for serum collection and lipid examination. Thirty-five articles in different target population from Beijin, Shanghai, Guangzhou, Tianjin and Kunming met ...