The object of this study was to establish the association between the
metabolic syndrome and
oxidized LDL (
oxLDL) and to determine the risk for
coronary heart disease (CHD) in relation to the
metabolic syndrome and levels of
oxLDL.
OxLDL was measured in plasma from 3,033 elderly participants in the Health, Aging, and Body Composition study. The
metabolic syndrome was defined according to criteria established in the Third Report of the National
Cholesterol Education Program Expert Panel on Detection, Evaluation, and Treatment of High Blood
Cholesterol in Adults. We observed that the
metabolic syndrome was associated with higher levels of
oxLDL due to a higher fraction of
oxLDL, not to higher levels of
LDL cholesterol. Individuals with the
metabolic syndrome had twice the odds of having high
oxLDL (>1.90 mg/dl) compared with those not having the
metabolic syndrome, after adjusting for age, sex, ethnicity, smoking status, and
LDL cholesterol. Among those participants who had the
metabolic syndrome at study entry, incidence rates of future CHD events were 1.6-fold higher, after adjusting for age, sex, ethnicity, and smoking status.
OxLDL was not an independent predictor of total CHD risk. However, those with high
oxLDL showed a greater disposition to
myocardial infarction (relative risk 2.25, 95% confidence interval 1.22-4.15). We concluded that the
metabolic syndrome, a risk factor for CHD, is associated with higher levels of circulating
oxLDL that are associated with a greater disposition to atherothrombotic
coronary disease.