Background: We have recently demonstrated that French Canadians bearing a mutation in the lipoprotein lipase (LPL) gene present an impaired lipoprotein-lipid profile characterized by small low-density lipoprotein (LDL) and high-density lipoprotein (HDL) particles compared with healthy subjects. It has also been documented that obesity has a significant impact on HDL and LDL particle sizes.
Objective: To examine the extent to which obesity modulates HDL and LDL particle sizes among carriers of mutations in the LPL gene.
Subjects: Analyses were carried out in 206 heterozygous carriers of the D9N mutation (N=118) or the P207L mutation (N=88).
Measurements: Lipoprotein particle sizes were measured on whole plasma by nondenaturing polyacrylamide gradient gel electrophoresis.
Results: In general, body mass index (BMI) and waist circumference were significant correlates of LDL and HDL particle sizes among heterozygous carriers of the P207L or D9N mutation in the LPL gene, with relatively similar associations among men and women. Multivariate analyses indicated that variations in waist circumference but not BMI were an independent predictor of variations in both HDL particle size (5.2%, P=0.0005) and LDL particle size (5.9%, P=0.01) in the entire group of heterozygotes for LPL mutation in a model that included the nature of the LPL mutation (D9N vs P207L), gender, age, cholesterol and plasma TG levels. Interestingly, there was a significant interaction between plasma TG levels and waist circumference or BMI in modulating HDL particle size. Indeed, an increased waist circumference or BMI was associated with a significant reduction in HDL particle size among subjects with plasma TG levels <or=3.5 mmol/l, but not among those with marked hypertriglyceridemia (TG levels >3.5 mmol/l).
Conclusion: These results suggest that abdominal obesity, more so that overall obesity, is an important determinant of variations in LDL and HDL particle size among heterozygous carriers of mutations in the LPL gene, perhaps further contributing to modulate the risk of CHD in these individuals.