Relationship of low-density lipoprotein particle size to plasma lipoproteins, obesity, and insulin resistance in Japanese men.
OBJECTIVE
To determine the clinical characteristics of patients with small low-density lipoprotein (LDL) particles among Japanese men with mild glucose intolerance and to investigate the relationship of LDL particle size to the levels of other plasma lipoproteins, obesity, insulin resistance, and blood pressure (BP).


METHODS
The subjects were 40 men with impaired glucose tolerance or diabetes treated by diet alone, and 40 healthy men matched for age and body mass index (BMI) were used as control subjects. LDL particle size was measured using gradient gel electrophoresis.


RESULTS
Of the 40 patients with glucose intolerance, 19 had small LDL (particle size < 25.5 nm) compared with only 4 of the 40 control subjects. In the patients with small LDL, the plasma levels of cholesterol, triglycerides, and apolipoprotein B, the fasting serum immunoreactive insulin, and the waist-to-hip ratio were all higher than in the patients with normal LDL (particle size > or = 25.5 nm), while the high-density lipoprotein cholesterol level was lower. However, there were no significant differences in BMI, BP, or insulin sensitivity in a euglycemic clamp study between the small-LDL and normal-LDL subgroups.


CONCLUSIONS
Japanese men with glucose intolerance frequently have small LDL, and this abnormality is associated with other dyslipoproteinemias and increased waist-to-hip ratio.
Suehiro
T
T
Second Department of Internal Medicine, Kochi Medical School, Japan.
Ohguro
T
T
Sumiyoshi
R
R
Yasuoka
N
N
Nakauchi
Y
Y
Kumon
Y
Y
Hashimoto
K
K
D000368:Aged; D016632:Apolipoprotein A-I / Q000097:blood; D001055:Apolipoproteins B / Q000097:blood; D001786:Blood Glucose / Q000378:metabolism; D001794:Blood Pressure; D015992:Body Mass Index; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D002499:Centrifugation, Density Gradient; D002784:Cholesterol / Q000097:blood; D008076:Cholesterol, HDL / Q000097:blood; D008078:Cholesterol, LDL / Q000097:blood; D003971:Diastole; D018149:Glucose Intolerance / Q000097:blood* / Q000503:physiopathology*; D006801:Humans; D007328:Insulin / Q000097:blood; D007333:Insulin Resistance; D007564:Japan; D008077:Lipoproteins, LDL / Q000097:blood* / Q000737:chemistry / Q000302:isolation & purification; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D015999:Multivariate Analysis; D009765:Obesity / Q000097:blood / Q000503:physiopathology*; D012016:Reference Values; D012044:Regression Analysis; D012907:Smoking; D013599:Systole; D014280:Triglycerides / Q000097:blood
D016632:Apolipoprotein A-I; D001055:Apolipoproteins B; D001786:Blood Glucose; D008076:Cholesterol, HDL; D008078:Cholesterol, LDL; D007328:Insulin; D008077:Lipoproteins, LDL; D014280:Triglycerides; D002784:Cholesterol