The presence of small dense low-density lipoprotein (sdLDL) is closely associated with an increased risk of developing coronary artery disease. The Trp64Arg polymorphism of the β3-adrenergic receptor (β3-AR) gene is a genetic marker for obesity-related traits. However, any possible association between this polymorphism and sdLDL profiles is unclear. The objective of this study is to investigate the effects of the polymorphism of the β3-AR gene on LDL particle size and sdLDL in a rural Japanese population. Among 277 subjects, body mass index, blood pressure, fasting serum insulin levels, and insulin resistance index (fasting glucose × fasting insulin/405) were determined. The polymorphism of the β3-AR gene was assessed by polymerase chain reaction–restriction fragment length polymorphism using buccal samples. Low-density lipoprotein particle size and sdLDL were measured with the electrophoretic separation of lipoproteins on the LipoPrint System (Quantimetrix, Redondo Beach, CA). The frequency of the β3-AR allele was 0.19. In Arg carriers (Trp/Arg or Arg/Arg), the mean value of LDL particle size was smaller than that of non-Arg carriers (Trp/Trp) (P < .05). The area percentage of sdLDL was higher in Arg carriers (P < .05) than in non-Arg carriers. A multiple regression analysis showed that the area percentage of sdLDL was correlated with the polymorphism of the β3-AR gene (P < .05), independently of age, sex, body mass index, smoking, and insulin resistance index. The present findings suggest that the β3-AR gene polymorphism plays a role in the genetic predisposition to increased sdLDL, independently of insulin resistance.