Systemic Oxidative Stress, Aging and the Risk of Cardiovascular Events in the General Female Population

Area of Science:

• Cardiovascular Health
• Oxidative Stress Biomarkers
• Menopause Research

Background:

• Menopause is linked to elevated cardiovascular disease (CVD) risk, with oxidative stress playing a key role.
• Systemic oxidative stress is indicated by reduced serum free thiols (R-SH), crucial for antioxidant defense.
• Understanding thiol levels in relation to cardiovascular health in women is essential.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the association between serum free thiols and the cardiovascular phenotype in women.
• To examine the relationship between serum free thiols and the risk of cardiovascular events in pre- and postmenopausal women.
• To explore the role of oxidative stress markers in female cardiovascular risk.

Main Methods:

• Analysis of serum free thiol concentrations in 2,980 female participants from the PREVEND cohort study.
• Association analysis with demographic, clinical, biochemical, and gynecological parameters.
• Prospective assessment of the association between serum free thiols and cardiovascular event risk.

Main Results:

• Postmenopausal women exhibited significantly lower serum free thiol levels compared to reproductive women (P < 0.001).
• Serum free thiols were associated with menopausal status (OR 0.70 [0.49-0.98], P = 0.039), independent of confounders except age.
• Lower serum free thiols were prospectively associated with increased cardiovascular event risk (HR 0.52 [0.27-0.97], P = 0.040), an association diminished by age adjustment.

Conclusions:

• Serum free thiols are significantly associated with the female cardiovascular phenotype and cardiovascular event risk.
• Age appears to be a more dominant factor than menopause in influencing cardiovascular risk markers.
• Further research is needed to clarify the clinical utility of serum free thiols in managing female cardiovascular risk.