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HDL particle size: a marker of the gender difference in the metabolic risk profile
Agnès Pascot1, Isabelle Lemieux, Jean Bergeron
1Lipid Research Center, CHUL Research Center, Sainte-Foy, Que., Canada G1V 4G2.
Insights
Men generally have smaller HDL particle size, a key indicator of coronary heart disease risk, compared to women. This difference in high-density lipoprotein (HDL) particle size significantly influences metabolic risk profiles between genders.
Area of Science:
- Cardiovascular Health
- Lipid Metabolism
- Gender-Specific Medicine
Background:
- Low plasma HDL-cholesterol is a significant risk factor for coronary heart disease (CHD).
- Women typically exhibit higher HDL-cholesterol and lower triglyceride levels, correlating with lower CHD risk compared to men.
- HDL particle size is emerging as a crucial marker for assessing CHD risk.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate potential gender differences in HDL particle size.
- To evaluate the association between HDL particle size and metabolic profiles in men and women.
Main Methods:
- Nondenaturing 4-30% polyacrylamide gradient gel electrophoresis was used to assess HDL particle size.
- A sample of 231 men and 183 women was analyzed.
- Metabolic profiles were compared between genders, with and without matching for HDL particle size.
Main Results:
- Men displayed a less favorable lipoprotein-lipid profile and smaller HDL particle size than women overall.
- When matched for HDL particle size, both genders showed similar lipoprotein-lipid profiles.
- Despite similar lipid profiles, women had higher total body fat and lower waist girth than men.
Conclusions:
- HDL particle size is a significant determinant of gender-related differences in metabolic risk.
- Understanding gender-specific HDL particle size is crucial for accurate cardiovascular risk assessment.
- HDL particle size may mediate some of the observed gender differences in CHD risk.
Abstract:
A low plasma HDL-cholesterol concentration is an important risk factor for coronary heart disease (CHD) and is often accompanied by increased triglyceride concentrations. Women have generally higher HDL-cholesterol and lower triglyceride concentrations and concomitantly are at lower risk of CHD than men. As HDL particle size is a new and potentially important marker of CHD risk, we have examined the potential gender difference in HDL particle size, assessed by nondenaturing 4-30% polyacrylamide gradient gel electrophoresis, in a sample of men (n=231) and women (n=183). Overall, men were characterized by a less favorable lipoprotein--lipid profile, which was accompanied by smaller HDL particle size compared to women. However, when men and women were matched for HDL particle size and compared for their metabolic profile, it was found that both genders were characterized by similar plasma lipoprotein--lipid profile despite the fact that women were characterized by higher levels of total body fat but lower waist girth than men. In summary, HDL particle size is a strong marker of the gender-related difference in the determination of the metabolic risk profile.