title: Association of arterial stiffness and diabetes with triglycerides-to-HDL cholesterol ratio for Japanese men: the Nagasaki Islands Study.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Although many studies have reported that elevated serum triglycerides to high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (TG-HDL) ratios constitute a risk for insulin resistance and increased arterial stiffness, no study has clarified as yet the association, in terms of the TG-HDL ratio, between diabetes and increased arterial stiffness evaluated by means of carotid intima-media thickness (CIMT) and cardio-ankle vascular index (CAVI). To investigate this association, we conducted a cross-sectional study of 1344 Japanese men aged 36-79 years undergoing a general health check.
  
  
  METHODS
  We investigated the associations between atherosclerosis/arterial stiffness, evaluated by means of CIMT and CAVI, and diabetes for all subjects, who were divided into tertiles according to TG-HDL levels. Diabetes was defined as HbA1c (NGSP) ≥6.5%, and/or initiation of glucose-lowering medication or insulin therapy.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Of the 130 diabetes patients identified in the cohort, 56 patients had high TG-HDL (high TG-HDL diabetes) and 43 had low TG-HDL (low TG-HDL diabetes). We found that only diabetic patients with high TG-HDL were at a significant risk for atherosclerosis (diagnosed as CIMT ≥ 1.1 mm) and increased arterial stiffness (diagnosed as CAVI ≥ 8.0). The multivariable-adjusted odds ratios and 95% confidence intervals of atherosclerosis and increased arterial stiffness for diabetes were 2.67 (95%CI: 1.35-5.28) and 2.36 (95%CI: 1.01-5.50), for total TG-HDL diabetes 2.57 (95%CI: 1.32-5.02) and 3.56 (95%CI: 1.50-8.46) for high TG-HDL diabetes, and 1.17 (95%CI: 0.52-2.63) and 0.80 (95%CI: 0.33-1.90) for low TG-HDL diabetes, respectively.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Diabetes, especially high TG-HDL diabetes, constitutes a significant risk for increased arterial stiffness and atherosclerosis.
authors.affiliation: Department of Community Medicine, Nagasaki University Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences, Nagasaki, Japan. simizicyuu@yahoo.co.jp
authors.forename: Yuji
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Shimizu
authors.forename: Mio
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Nakazato
authors.forename: Takaharu
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Sekita
authors.forename: Koichiro
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Kadota
authors.forename: Hironori
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Yamasaki
authors.forename: Noboru
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Takamura
authors.forename: Kiyoshi
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Aoyagi
authors.forename: Takahiro
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Maeda
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D055109:Ankle Brachial Index; D044466:Asian People; D050197:Atherosclerosis / Q000097:blood / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000208:ethnology* / Q000503:physiopathology; D015415:Biomarkers / Q000097:blood; D001786:Blood Glucose / Q000032:analysis; D059168:Carotid Intima-Media Thickness; D008076:Cholesterol, HDL / Q000097:blood*; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D003925:Diabetic Angiopathies / Q000097:blood / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000208:ethnology* / Q000503:physiopathology; D006442:Glycated Hemoglobin / Q000032:analysis; D006801:Humans; D007564:Japan / Q000453:epidemiology; D016014:Linear Models; D016015:Logistic Models; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D015999:Multivariate Analysis; D016017:Odds Ratio; D011237:Predictive Value of Tests; D018570:Risk Assessment; D012307:Risk Factors; D012737:Sex Factors; D014280:Triglycerides / Q000097:blood*; D059289:Vascular Stiffness
chemical_list: D015415:Biomarkers; D001786:Blood Glucose; D008076:Cholesterol, HDL; D006442:Glycated Hemoglobin; D014280:Triglycerides; C517652:hemoglobin A1c protein, human