Homocysteine is not associated with arterial thickness and stiffness in healthy middle-aged French volunteers.
BACKGROUND
To study the association between the total plasma homocysteine (tHcy) concentration and the carotid artery intima-medial wall thickness (IMT), pulse wave velocity (PWV) and the presence of arterial plaques in a French population.


METHODS
Cross-sectional analysis of data from 556 male and 559 female middle-aged participants (mean (+/-SD) age 59.6+/-4.7 years) provided by an ongoing intervention trial.


RESULTS
Mean geometric tHcy concentration was higher for men than for women (10.6 vs. 8.5 micromol/L, p<0.001) and was associated in the expected direction with known determinants. The mean IMT was 0.71+/-0.1 mm for men and 0.69+/-0.1 mm for women (p<0.001), the mean PWV was, respectively, 12.0+/-2.8 and 10.9+/-2.2 m/sec (p<0.001), and the percentages of subjects with plaques were, respectively, 40.8% and 22.7% (p<0.001). In men only, the age-adjusted mean IMT and PWV increased with an increasing tHcy concentration: the IMT was 0.71 mm in the first tHcy-quartile and 0.73 mm in the fourth tHcy-quartile (p for linear trend=0.03), the PWV values were, respectively, 11.6 and 12.4 m/sec (p for linear trend=0.01). These associations disappeared after adjustment for conventional cardiovascular disease risk factors.


CONCLUSIONS
In this population, the tHcy concentration was not associated with measures of arterial thickness and stiffness.
de Bree
Angelika
A
Unilever Food and Health Research Institute, Unilever Research and Development, Vlaardingen, The Netherlands. angelika-de.bree@unilever.com
Mennen
Louise I
LI
Zureik
Mahmoud
M
Ducros
Véronique
V
Guilland
Jean-Claude
JC
Nicolas
Jean-Pierre
JP
Emery-Fillon
Nathalie
N
Blacher
Jacques
J
Hercberg
Serge
S
Galan
Pilar
P
D002340:Carotid Artery Diseases / Q000473:pathology* / Q000503:physiopathology*; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D004548:Elasticity; D005260:Female; D005602:France; D006710:Homocysteine / Q000097:blood*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011674:Pulse; D017539:Tunica Intima / Q000473:pathology* / Q000503:physiopathology*; D017540:Tunica Media / Q000473:pathology* / Q000503:physiopathology*
D006710:Homocysteine