Proneness to high blood lipid-related indices in female smokers

Smoking is a major risk factor for dyslipidemia. However, it remains to be clarified whether light smoking in Asian women affects lipid profiles and lipid-related indices. The aim of this study was to determine the relationships between lipid-related indices and smoking in Japanese women. Alcohol drinking influences blood lipid levels and is a potent confounder for the relationship between smoking and blood lipids. Thus, analysis for the relationships between smoking and blood lipid-related indices was also performed after stratification of drinking status.

The participants were 18,793 Japanese women aged 35-70 years. A cross-sectional study was performed using a local population-based database. The relationships of smoking with each index were investigated by using analysis of covariance and logistic regression analysis with adjustment for age and other lifestyle factors such as alcohol drinking and regular exercise.

In multivariate logistic regression analysis, odds ratios of smokers vs. nonsmokers for high ratio of LDL cholesterol to HDL cholesterol (LDL-C/HDL-C), high ratio of triglycerides to HDL cholesterol (TG/HDL-C), high lipid accumulation product (LAP) and high cardio metabolic index (CMI) were significantly higher than the reference level of 1.00 in overall participants (2.17 [1.78-2.66], 1.70 [1.47-1.97], 1.17 [1.08-1.27] and 1.41 [1.30-1.53], respectively), nondrinking participants (2.29 [1.80-2.91], 1.68 [1.39-2.02], 1.21 [1.08-1.36] and 1.46 [1.30-1.63], respectively), and drinking participants (1.96 [1.35-2.85], 1.76 [1.39-2.21], 1.13 [1.01-1.27] and 1.38 [1.22-1.55], respectively). In overall participants, nondrinking participants, and drinking participants, LDL-C/HDL-C, TG/HDL-C, LAP and CMI were significantly higher in smokers than in nonsmokers. In nondrinking participants, triglycerides and LDL cholesterol were significantly higher in smokers than in nonsmokers, while the ratio of waist circumference to height and HDL cholesterol were significantly lower in smokers than in nonsmokers.

In women, all of the four lipid-related indices tested were higher in smokers than in nonsmokers, and these associations were independent of alcohol drinking. The high levels of the lipid-related indices in smokers result from the detrimental effects of smoking on levels of blood lipids such as triglycerides, HDL cholesterol and LDL cholesterol.