Inflammasome activation markers are independently associated with hypoalphalipoproteinemia in a Mexican-Mestizo population

Abstract

Background: High-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C) concentrations are determined by environmental and metabolic factors, but systemic inflammation markers had been less studied. Aim: To evaluate the independent association of systemic inflammation markers to HDL-C concentration, considering the relative contribution of envioromental, and metabolic factors, in a well-characterized Mexican-Mestizo population. Methods: We used logistic regression and linear regression analysis to assess the effect of inflammatory (high sensitivity C-reactive protein (hs-CRP), adiponectin, tumor necrosis factor alpha, interleukins 6, 10, 15, and 1β), environmental (diet and physical activity) and metabolic factors (triglyceride (TG) levels, insulin resistance, abdominal visceral fat) on HDL-C concentrations, in 907 adults (46.5% female, aged 52 ± 9 years), without diabetes, TG ≤ 600 mg/dL, and hs-CRP ≤ 3 mg/L. Results: We found hypoalphalipoproteinemia (HA: HDL-C ≤ 50 mg/dL in women and ≤ 40 mg/dL in men) in 44.8% of women and 48.8% of men. Carbohydrate intake (standardized coefficient β: -0.109 and -0.142), TG (-0.280 and -0.418), and interleukin-1β (-0.156 and -0.159) were inversely and independently associated to HDL-C levels, whereas adiponectin had a positive effect on the lipoprotein concentrations (0.196 and 0.169) for women and men, respectively (p<0.05 for all). Conjointly, these variables explained 33% of the variance in HDL-C levels. Conclusion: The study confirms the strong association of TG and carbohydrate intake with HDL-C levels. In addition, the results highlight the relevance of inflammatory processes in HA, which is one of the most prevalent cardiovascular risk factors in the Mexican population.