Cholesteryl ester transfer protein and lecithin: Cholesterol acyltransferase activities in hispanic and anglo postmenopausal women: Associations with total and regional body fat

• Published in: Metabolism, clinical and experimental clinical and experimental, 2003-03, Vol.52 (3), p.282-289
• Main Authors: Greaves, Kathryn A., Going, Scott B., Fernandez, Maria Luz, Milliken, Laura A., Lohman, Timothy G., Bassford, Tamsen, McNamara, Donald J.
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Absorptiometry, Photon; Adipose Tissue; Aged; Analysis. Health state; Anthropometry; Biological and medical sciences; Body Composition; Body Mass Index; Carrier Proteins - blood; Cholesterol - blood; Cholesterol Ester Transfer Proteins; Cholesterol, HDL - blood; Cholesterol, LDL - blood; Coronary Disease - epidemiology; Epidemiology; Estrogen Replacement Therapy; Ethnic Groups; Female; Fundamental and applied biological sciences. Psychology; General aspects; Glycoproteins; Hispanic Americans; Humans; Lipids. Glycolipids; Medical sciences; Metabolisms and neurohumoral controls; Middle Aged; Nutrition Surveys; Phosphatidylcholine-Sterol O-Acyltransferase - blood; Postmenopause; Public health. Hygiene; Public health. Hygiene-occupational medicine; Regression Analysis; Risk Factors; Triglycerides - blood; Vertebrates: anatomy and physiology, studies on body, several organs or systems
• ISSN: 0026-0495; 1532-8600
• DOI: 10.1053/meta.2003.50045

Reverse cholesterol transport is one process by which high-density lipoprotein (HDL) cholesterol has been hypothesized to play a role in reducing the risk of coronary heart disease. This study was designed to examine cholesteryl ester transfer protein (CETP) and lecithin:cholesterol acyltransferase (LCAT) activities, 2 modulators of reverse cholesterol transport, in Hispanic and Anglo postmenopausal women. The associations between plasma CETP and LCAT activities and body composition were also examined. Of the 199 subjects, 33% were of Hispanic origin and 47% were undergoing hormone replacement therapy (HRT). Body composition was measured by dual-energy x-ray absorptiometry (DXA) and anthropometry. Plasma CETP activity was higher in Hispanic compared to Anglo women, although the difference was eliminated when data were adjusted for abdominal fat. Hispanic women had lower plasma HDL cholesterol concentrations, higher total cholesterol:HDL cholesterol ratios and triglyceride concentrations, and greater susceptibility of low-density lipoprotein (LDL) particles to oxidation. Hispanic women also had a significantly greater relative deposition of body fat on the trunk and intra-abdominally than did Anglo women, even after adjusting for total body fat. There were no significant ethnic differences in LCAT activity. Plasma CETP and LCAT activities were negatively correlated with HDL cholesterol and positively correlated with total cholesterol, LDL cholesterol, and triglycerides, as well as total and regional body composition variables. In conclusion, results suggest a greater risk for coronary heart disease in Hispanic women compared to Anglo women. Copyright 2003, Elsevier Science (USA). All rights reserved.