title: Waist-to-hip ratio correlates with homocysteine levels in male patients with coronary artery disease.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Obesity and homocysteine are important risk factors for cardiovascular disease. The relation between pattern of obesity and homocysteine is unclear. The objective of this study was to investigate the relation between pattern of obesity and plasma total homocysteine (tHcy) level in male patients with coronary artery disease (CAD).
  
  
  METHODS
  A total of 63 male patients (mean age 66.2 years) with angiographically documented CAD were enrolled. Overnight fasting blood samples were measured for plasma tHcy, serum folic acid and serum vitamin B12 levels. Anthropometric measurements included waist-to-hip ratio (WHR) and body mass index (BMI).
  
  
  RESULTS
  The mean WHR was 0.90+/-0.05, mean BMI 24.6+/-3.3 kg/m2 and the mean plasma tHcy level 11.6+/-3.2 micromol/L. In univariate analysis, plasma tHcy level correlated significantly with serum vitamin B12 level, serum folic acid level, WHR, estimated creatinine clearance, aspirin use and fibrate use. There was no significant association between plasma tHcy level and BMI. In multivariate analysis, only WHR (beta-value 22.263, p<0.001), serum level of vitamin B12 (beta-value -0.004, p=0.003), estimated creatinine clearance (beta-value -4.154, p=0.003) and use of fibrates (beta-value 2.307, p=0.031) were independent predictors of plasma tHcy level.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  WHR, but not BMI, is a strong independent predictor of plasma tHcy level in male patients with CAD.
authors.affiliation: Department of Internal Medicine, National Taiwan University Hospital, National Taiwan University College of Medicine, Taipei, Taiwan.
authors.forename: Yen-Hung
authors.initials: YH
authors.lastname: Lin
authors.forename: Kuan-Yin
authors.initials: KY
authors.lastname: Pao
authors.forename: Wei-Shiung
authors.initials: WS
authors.lastname: Yang
authors.forename: Vin-Cent
authors.initials: VC
authors.lastname: Wu
authors.forename: Yu-Jen
authors.initials: YJ
authors.lastname: Chen
authors.forename: Yu-Li
authors.initials: YL
authors.lastname: Lin
authors.forename: Wei-Shan
authors.initials: WS
authors.lastname: Tsai
authors.forename: I-Jung
authors.initials: IJ
authors.lastname: Tsai
authors.forename: Churn-Shiouh
authors.initials: CS
authors.lastname: Gau
authors.forename: Juey-Jen
authors.initials: JJ
authors.lastname: Hwang
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D015415:Biomarkers / Q000097:blood; D015992:Body Mass Index; D003324:Coronary Artery Disease / Q000097:blood* / Q000473:pathology; D005492:Folic Acid / Q000097:blood; D006710:Homocysteine / Q000097:blood*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009765:Obesity / Q000097:blood / Q000473:pathology; D012307:Risk Factors; D014805:Vitamin B 12 / Q000097:blood; D049629:Waist-Hip Ratio
chemical_list: D015415:Biomarkers; D006710:Homocysteine; D005492:Folic Acid; D014805:Vitamin B 12