Hypertriglyceridemia is a major factor associated with elevated levels of small dense LDL cholesterol in patients with metabolic syndrome.
BACKGROUND
We aimed to determine the major contributing component of metabolic syndrome (MetS) that results in an elevated small dense LDL cholesterol (sdLDL-C) concentration and sdLDL-C/LDL-C ratio.


METHODS
Four hundred and forty-seven subjects (225 men; 222 women) with MetS were randomly selected from the Korean Metabolic Syndrome Research Initiatives-Seoul cohort study. Age- and sex-matched healthy controls (181 men; 179 women) were also randomly selected from the same cohort.


RESULTS
A comparison of the median values of the sdLDL-C concentration between subgroups, divided according to whether subjects met or did not meet the criteria for each MetS component in patients with MetS, revealed a significant difference in the sdLDL-C concentration only between subgroups divided according to whether subjects met or did not meet the triglyceride (TG) criteria (P<0.05 for each gender). The TG level showed a good correlation with sdLDL-C concentration (correlation coefficients [r]=0.543 for men; 0.653 for women) and the sdLDL-C/LDL-C ratio (r=0.789 for men; 0.745 for women). Multiple linear regression analyses conducted for the MetS group concordantly identified TG as one of the most significant contributors to sdLDL-C concentration (β=0.1747±0.0105, P<0.0001) and the sdLDL-C/LDL-C ratio (β=6.9518±0.3011, P<0.0001).


CONCLUSIONS
Among five MetS components, only the abnormal TG level was a differentiating factor for sdLDL-C concentration and sdLDL-C/LDL-C ratio. These results were reproducible in both genders, with or without MetS.
Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Yonsei University College of Medicine, Seoul, Korea.|Brain Korea 21 PLUS Project for Medical Science, Yonsei University College of Medicine, Seoul, Korea.
Yonggeun
Y
Cho
Department of Laboratory Medicine, Yonsei University College of Medicine, Seoul, Korea.
Sang Guk
SG
Lee
Department of Epidemiology and Health Promotion, Graduate School of Public Health, Yonsei University College of Medicine, Seoul, Korea.
Sun Ha
SH
Jee
Department of Laboratory Medicine, Yonsei University College of Medicine, Seoul, Korea. jeongho@yuhs.ac.
Jeong Ho
JH
Kim
D000328:Adult; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D008078:Cholesterol, LDL / Q000097:blood*; D015331:Cohort Studies; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D015228:Hypertriglyceridemia / Q000150:complications* / Q000175:diagnosis; D016014:Linear Models; D008297:Male; D024821:Metabolic Syndrome / Q000150:complications* / Q000175:diagnosis; D008875:Middle Aged; D012307:Risk Factors; D014280:Triglycerides / Q000097:blood
D008078:Cholesterol, LDL; D014280:Triglycerides
Hypertriglyceridemia; Metabolic syndrome; Small dense LDL