Objective: To assess the dietary characteristics of a closed community and their relationship with several health markers and lipid and lipoprotein values in postmenopausal women. Design: Energy and nutrient intake, serum lipids, lipoproteins, antioxidants, peroxides and low-density lipoprotein (LDL) peroxides in addition to several health markers were measured in a closed, postmenopausal female community consuming a diet without meat, meat products and alcoholic beverages. Setting: Departamento de Nutrició n and Secció n Departamental de Química Analítica and Escuela de Especializació n de Análisis Clínicos, Universidad Complutense de Madrid, Spain and Lerma, Burgos, Spain. Results: Cereals, vegetables, legumes and fruit, together with milk and eggs, constituted the most important ingredients of the diet consumed. Dietary carbohydrates contributed 42%en and lipids 46.4%en. The SFA/MUFA/PUFA ratio was 1/2/1 and the n-3/n-6 ratio 0.05 (SFA ¼ saturated fatty acids, MUFA ¼ monounsaturated fatty acids, PUFA ¼ polyunsaturated fatty acids). The study community diet was monotonous and made for possible deficiencies of iron, magnesium, zinc, vitamin B 6 and vitamin D, in variable proportions. Routine biochemical and haematological normality markers indicate that only one woman presented hyperglycaemia and hyperuricaemia. Two women had haemoglobin levels o12 g/dl, but their mean corpuscular volume or mean corpuscular haemoglobin was normal. The prevalence of high cholesterol values (46.21 mmol/l) was 42.8%, while that of high LDL-cholesterol levels (43.88 mmol/l) was 35.7%, but none of the women displayed levels of high-density lipoprotein (HDL)-cholesterol o1.16 mmol/l, triglycerides 41.2 mmol/l or an LDL-cholesterol/HDL-cholesterol ratio43. Only one woman had apolipoprotein (Apo) B levels 41.5 g/l, while most of the women presented Apo B values o1.2 g/l and an ApoA-1/ApoB ratio o1.1. Plasma and LDL-peroxide levels, together with the tocopherol and carotene intakes, suggest a good antioxidant status in this population. Conclusions: The diet of the study group seems compatible with a healthy life-profile and permits a more-than-acceptable degree of cardiovascular disease protection. However, the consumption of certain nutrients should be improved. Sponsorship: This study was supported by a Danone-Universidad Complutense de Madrid grant. Project PR248/01-10161.