Abstract
BackgroundThe role of Lipoprotein (a) cholesterol {Lp(a)-C}as an additional and/or independent risk factor for cardiovascular disease (CVD) is not clear. We evaluated the associations between Lp(a)-C and other CVD risk factors including plasma lipoprotein concentrations and body fatness in overweight and obese African American children.MethodsA cross-sectional analysis was carried out using data from a sample of 121 African American children aged 9-11 years with Body Mass Index (BMI)'s greater than the 85th percentile. Body height, weight and waist circumference (WC) were measured. Fasting plasma concentrations of Lp(a)-C, Total cholesterol (TC), High density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C), Very low density lipoprotein cholesterol (VLDL-C), Intermediate density lipoprotein cholesterol (IDL-C), Low density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C), and Triacylglycerides (TAG) were analyzed using the vertical auto profile (VAP) cholesterol method.ResultsAfter adjusting for child age, gender, and pubertal status, Lp(a)-C was positively associated with both HDL-C and TC, and negatively associated with VLDL-C and TAG. Including BMIz and WC as additional covariates did not alter the direction of the relationships between Lp(a)-C and the other lipoproteins. Finally, after adjusting for the other plasma lipoproteins, Lp(a)-C remained strongly associated with HDL-C, whereas the associations of Lp(a)-C with the other lipoproteins were not significant when HDL-C was simultaneously included in the regression models.ConclusionsLp(a)-C was positively associated with HDL-C and this association is not influenced by other lipoprotein subclasses or by the degree of obesity. We conclude that Lp(a) cholesterol is not an independent risk factor for CVD in African American children.
Highlights
The role of Lipoprotein (a) cholesterol {Lp(a)-C}as an additional and/or independent risk factor for cardiovascular disease (CVD) is not clear
We aimed to evaluate the associations of Lp(a)-C with other cardiovascular disease risk factors including lipoproteins (TC, High density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C), Low density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C), Very low density lipoprotein cholesterol (VLDL-C), TAG) and body fatness (BMIz and waist circumference) in this sample of overweight and obese, young African American children
Plasma lipoprotein concentrations were considered to be in the normal range for many, but not all, of the children in this sample
Summary
The role of Lipoprotein (a) cholesterol {Lp(a)-C}as an additional and/or independent risk factor for cardiovascular disease (CVD) is not clear. We evaluated the associations between Lp(a)-C and other CVD risk factors including plasma lipoprotein concentrations and body fatness in overweight and obese African American children. Numerous studies have reported that high plasma Lp(a) concentrations are associated with atherosclerotic/thrombotic disease, as comprehensively reviewed by others [3]. Despite these reports, there have been conflicting results from prospective studies that evaluated Lp(a) as an independent risk factor for cardiovascular disease (CVD). High Lp(a) concentrations were reported not to be associated with increased risk of CVD in African Americans adults [6]. These, among other findings, have led researchers to conclude that Lp(a) levels are regulated by both genetic and non-genetic factors [7], suggesting that a single Lp (a) cutoff would not confer the same CVD risk in African American and White populations [8]
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