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Evaluation of Blood Lactate and Plasma Insulin During High-intensity Exercise by Antecubital Vein Catheterization
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The association of plasma lactate with incident cardiovascular outcomes: the ARIC Study

Kunihiro Matsushita1, Emma K Williams, Morgana L Mongraw-Chaffin

  • 1Department of Epidemiology, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, 615 N. Wolfe Street, Baltimore, MD 21205, USA. kmatsush@jhsph.edu

American Journal of Epidemiology
|July 3, 2013
PubMed

Insights

High resting plasma lactate levels, indicating lower oxidative capacity, are linked to increased risk of heart failure and all-cause mortality. This study highlights lactate as a potential biomarker for cardiovascular health.

Area of Science:

  • Cardiology
  • Biochemistry
  • Epidemiology

Background:

  • Plasma lactate is a marker of cellular oxidative capacity.
  • Oxidative capacity is crucial for maintaining cardiovascular health.
  • Low oxidative capacity may be associated with increased cardiovascular risk.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate the association between resting plasma lactate levels and incident cardiovascular outcomes.
  • To determine if plasma lactate is an independent predictor of coronary heart disease, stroke, heart failure, and all-cause mortality.
  • To explore the role of oxidative capacity, as indicated by plasma lactate, in cardiovascular disease development.

Main Methods:

  • Analysis of 10,006 participants from the Atherosclerosis Risk in Communities (ARIC) Study.
  • Use of Cox proportional-hazards models to assess hazard ratios for cardiovascular events.
  • Stratification of participants into quartiles based on plasma lactate levels.
  • Longitudinal follow-up for a median of 10.7 years.

Main Results:

  • Elevated plasma lactate levels showed a significant graded association with cardiovascular events in initial analyses.
  • After adjusting for confounders, higher lactate remained significantly associated with increased risk of heart failure (HR=1.35) and all-cause mortality (HR=1.27).
  • No significant association was found between plasma lactate and incident coronary heart disease or stroke.

Conclusions:

  • Resting plasma lactate is an independent predictor of heart failure and all-cause mortality.
  • Low resting oxidative capacity, indicated by higher plasma lactate, may play a role in the pathophysiology of heart failure.
  • Plasma lactate could serve as a valuable biomarker for assessing cardiovascular risk, particularly for heart failure.

Keywords:
cardiovascular diseaseepidemiologyheart failureoxidative capacityplasma lactate

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