title: Apolipoprotein ε4 polymorphism does not modify the association between body mass index and high-density lipoprotein cholesterol: a cross-sectional cohort study.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  We sought to examine whether ε4 carrier status modifies the relation between body mass index (BMI) and HDL. The National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute Family Heart Study included 657 families with high family risk scores for coronary heart disease and 588 randomly selected families of probands in the Framingham, Atherosclerosis Risk in Communities, and Utah Family Health Tree studies. We selected 1402 subjects who had ε4 carrier status available. We used generalized estimating equations to examine the interaction between BMI and ε4 allele carrier status on HDL after adjusting for age, gender, smoking, alcohol intake, mono- and poly-unsaturated fat intake, exercise, comorbidities, LDL, and family cluster.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The mean (standard deviation) age of included subjects was 56.4(11.0) years and 47% were male. Adjusted means of HDL for normal, overweight, and obese BMI categories were 51.2(± 0.97), 45.0(± 0.75), and 41.6(± 0.93), respectively, among 397 ε4 carriers (p for trend < 0.0001) and 53.6(± 0.62), 51.3(± 0.49), and 45.0(± 0.62), respectively, among 1005 non-carriers of the ε4 allele (p-value for trend < 0.0001). There was no evidence for an interaction between BMI and ε4 status on HDL(p-value 0.39).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Our findings do not support an interaction between ε4 allele status and BMI on HDL.
authors.affiliation: Massachusetts Veterans Epidemiology and Information Research Center (MAVERIC), Boston VA Healthcare, Boston, Massachusetts, USA. crahilly-tierney@partners.org
authors.forename: Catherine R
authors.initials: CR
authors.lastname: Rahilly-Tierney
authors.forename: Donna K
authors.initials: DK
authors.lastname: Arnett
authors.forename: Kari E
authors.initials: KE
authors.lastname: North
authors.forename: James S
authors.initials: JS
authors.lastname: Pankow
authors.forename: Steven C
authors.initials: SC
authors.lastname: Hunt
authors.forename: R Curtis
authors.initials: RC
authors.lastname: Ellison
authors.forename: J Michael
authors.initials: JM
authors.lastname: Gaziano
authors.forename: Luc
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Djoussé
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000483:Alleles; D054458:Amplified Fragment Length Polymorphism Analysis; D053327:Apolipoprotein E4 / Q000235:genetics*; D015992:Body Mass Index; D002318:Cardiovascular Diseases / Q000097:blood* / Q000235:genetics*; D008076:Cholesterol, HDL / Q000097:blood*; D015331:Cohort Studies; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D005260:Female; D056726:Genetic Association Studies; D020022:Genetic Predisposition to Disease; D006579:Heterozygote; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D050177:Overweight / Q000097:blood / Q000235:genetics*; D011110:Polymorphism, Genetic; D014481:United States
chemical_list: D053327:Apolipoprotein E4; D008076:Cholesterol, HDL