Small, dense low-density lipoprotein and C-reactive protein in obese subjects with and without other criteria for the metabolic syndrome

Iacobellis, Gianluca; Ribaudo, Maria Cristina; Zappaterreno, Alessandra; Iannucci, Concetta Valeria; Leonetti, Frida

doi:10.1016/j.jacl.2007.10.006

« Previous Next »Journal of Clinical Lipidology
Volume 1, Issue 6 , Pages 599-604, December 2007

Small, dense low-density lipoprotein and C-reactive protein in obese subjects with and without other criteria for the metabolic syndrome

Gianluca Iacobellis, MD, PhD
- Center for Human Nutrition, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center at Dallas, Dallas, TX, USA
- Corresponding author. Present address: Department of Medicine, McMaster University St. Joseph’s Healthcare, Fontbonne Building 5th Floor, 50 Charlton Avenue E, Hamilton, ON, L8 4A6 Canada.
Maria Cristina Ribaudo, MD, PhD
- Endocrinology, Department of Clinical Sciences, La Sapienza University, Rome, Italy
Alessandra Zappaterreno, MD
- Endocrinology, Department of Clinical Sciences, La Sapienza University, Rome, Italy
Concetta Valeria Iannucci, MD
- Endocrinology, Department of Clinical Sciences, La Sapienza University, Rome, Italy
Frida Leonetti, MD, PhD
- Endocrinology, Department of Clinical Sciences, La Sapienza University, Rome, Italy

Received 26 June 2007; accepted 12 October 2007. published online 22 October 2007.

Background

Although obesity is an important cardiovascular risk factor, growing evidence shows that a substantial portion of obese subjects can be considered metabolically healthy but obese (MHO). However the extent to which obese subjects manifest small, dense low-density lipoprotein (LDL) particles without other characteristics of the metabolic syndrome (MS) remains unknown.

Objective

The purpose of this study was to determine the difference between MHO (only meeting the obesity criteria) and obese subjects meeting all the criteria for the MS with regard to LDL size and high-sensitivity C-reactive protein (hs-CRP), as a biomarker of inflammation.

Methods

Two hundred obese subjects (168 women, mean age 36.5 ± 5 years [range, 20–60]; mean body mass index [BMI; calculated as kg/m²] 39 ± 5 [range, 30–80.4]) were studied for LDL particles size and hs-CRP levels.

Results

Of 200 enrolled obese subjects, 55 were defined MHO subjects meeting only obesity criteria. The other 145 met all five criteria and were defined as having MS. Although MHO and MS subjects had similar BMI, MHO subjects had a lower percentage of small LDL particles (8% vs 29%, P < 0.001), higher average LDL diameter (274 ± 5 vs 270 ± 7 Å, P < 0.001), and lower hs-CRP levels (P < 0.05) than MS patients.

Conclusion

The major finding of this study is that MHO subjects compared to equally obese subjects meeting the criteria of the MS have statistically significant differences in size of LDL and concentration of hs-CRP. However, the absolute differences are very small and of uncertain clinical significance.

Keywords: Atherosclerosis, LDL size, Metabolic syndrome, Metabolically healthy obese, Uncomplicated obesity