Relationships of gender, sex hormone use, and age with lipoprotein cholesterol/triglyceride ratios in an adult population The Pacific Northwest Bell Telephone Company health survey

Abstract

Effects of gender, sex hormone use, and age on lipoprotein composition have been evaluated in 603 Caucasian subjects, ages 20–59, randomly selected from employees participating in the Pacific Northwest Bell Telephone Company Health Survey. Lipoprotein composition in this analysis is defined as the cholesterol to triglyceride (C/TG) ratio in each lipoprotein fraction. The lipoprotein C/TG ratio is inversely related to the lipoprotein triglyceride concentrations in VLDL, LDL and HDL; the ratio falling in each instance as lipoprotein triglyceride concentration increases. Plots of this relationship are virtually superimposable among women hormone users and nonusers and men in VLDL and HDL and between men and nonhormone taking women in LDL. A consistently lower C/TG ratio is observed in LDL for hormone-treated women compared to the other 2 groups. Age in these analyses is without effect. Conclusions: We hypothesize that a lower LDL (C/TG) ratio in hormone-treated women may render the lipoprotein less crystalline or smectic and potentially less atherogenic. No such difference exists in the lipoprotein C/TG ratio between men and nonhormone-treated women and therefore cannot explain the observed difference in atherosclerosis risk. Nonetheless, the C/TG ratios may predict atherosclerosis if the ratio is high in VLDL or in LDL. However, the significance of the HDL (C/TG) ratio remains to be established.