title: Association Between Prolactin and Incidence of Cardiovascular Risk Factors in the Framingham Heart Study.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Prolactin is an anterior pituitary hormone that may modulate the adverse effects of obesity. Prolactin has been associated with cardiovascular disease mortality, but less is known about whether prolactin predicts incidence of cardiovascular disease risk factors.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Our sample (n=3232, mean age 40.4 years, 52.1% women) was drawn from Framingham Heart Study participants who attended 2 examinations an average of 6.1 years apart. After excluding those with elevated prolactin (>30 mg/dL for women, >20 mg/dL for men), multivariable-adjusted regressions modeled the associations between baseline prolactin and changes in cardiovascular disease risk factors. Models were adjusted for age, sex, baseline value of the risk factor, smoking status, hormone replacement therapy, and menopausal status and additionally for body mass index. Mean prolactin levels were 11.9 mg/dL (SD 5.2) in women and 8.0 mg/dL (SD 2.9) in men. No associations were observed for change in weight, body composition, total cholesterol, triglycerides, or fasting glucose. In women, for example, for each 5-mg/dL increment in prolactin, odds of incident hypercholesterolemia were 1.06, which was not significant (95% CI 0.91-1.23, P=0.46). Some exceptions were of note. In women, for each 5-mg/dL increment in prolactin, we observed increased odds of low high-density lipoprotein cholesterol at follow-up (odds ratio 1.50, 95% CI 1.18-1.91, P=0.001) that persisted after adjustment for body mass index (P=0.001). In men, a 5-mg/dL increment in prolactin was associated with increased odds of incident hypertension (odds ratio 1.61, 95% CI 1.18-2.20 P=0.002) and incident diabetes (odds ratio 1.70, 95% CI 1.04-2.78, P=0.03).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Prolactin is not associated with a comprehensive panel of incident cardiovascular disease risk factors. Measurement of circulating prolactin levels in the community likely does not provide substantial insight into cardiometabolic risk.
authors.affiliation: National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute's Framingham Heart Study, Framingham, MA.
authors.forename: Kate E
authors.initials: KE
authors.lastname: Therkelsen
authors.affiliation: Department of Endocrinology, Hypertension and Diabetes, Brigham and Women's Hospital and Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA.
authors.forename: Tobin M
authors.initials: TM
authors.lastname: Abraham
authors.affiliation: National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute's Framingham Heart Study, Framingham, MA.
authors.forename: Alison
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Pedley
authors.affiliation: Department of Biostatistics, Boston University School of Public Health, Boston, MA.
authors.forename: Joseph M
authors.initials: JM
authors.lastname: Massaro
authors.affiliation: National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute's Framingham Heart Study, Framingham, MA.
authors.forename: Patrice
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Sutherland
authors.affiliation: Department of Radiology, Massachusetts General Hospital and Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA.
authors.forename: Udo
authors.initials: U
authors.lastname: Hoffmann
authors.affiliation: National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute's Framingham Heart Study, Framingham, MA Department of Endocrinology, Hypertension and Diabetes, Brigham and Women's Hospital and Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute, Bethesda, MD foxca@nhlbi.nih.gov.
authors.forename: Caroline S
authors.initials: CS
authors.lastname: Fox
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D015415:Biomarkers / Q000097:blood; D002318:Cardiovascular Diseases / Q000097:blood* / Q000175:diagnosis; D015897:Comorbidity; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D015994:Incidence; D016014:Linear Models; D016015:Logistic Models; D008137:Longitudinal Studies; D008297:Male; D008404:Massachusetts / Q000453:epidemiology; D008875:Middle Aged; D015999:Multivariate Analysis; D016017:Odds Ratio; D011237:Predictive Value of Tests; D011379:Prognosis; D011388:Prolactin / Q000097:blood*; D018570:Risk Assessment; D012307:Risk Factors; D013997:Time Factors
chemical_list: D015415:Biomarkers; D011388:Prolactin
keywords: epidemiology; hormones; obesity; population