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Submitted on September 27, 2004
Accepted on April 28, 2005
From the Lipid Metabolism Laboratory, Jean Mayer USDA Human Nutrition Research Center on Aging at Tufts University, the Gerald J. and Dorothy R. Friedman School of Nutrition Science and Policy at Tufts University, the Department of Family Medicine and Community Health, Tufts University School of Medicine, Boston, MA, the Department of Medicine, University of Massachusetts Medical School, Worcester, MA, and Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA
* To whom correspondence should be addressed. E-mail: stefania.lamon-fava{at}tufts.edu.
Context. Risk of coronary heart disease is higher in African-American than in Caucasian women.
Objective. The aim of this study was to evaluate the contribution of sex hormone levels, race, and measures of body fat to the variation in plasma lipid levels, a well-established risk factor for coronary heart disease.
Design. Cross-sectional study.
Setting. General community.
Study Participants. Sixty Caucasian and 117 African-American premenopausal women.
Main Outcome Measures. Body weight, body mass index (BMI) and waist/hip ratio (WHR), as well as plasma lipid and serum sex hormone levels, were assessed.
Results. Relative to Caucasian women, African-American women had significantly higher mean BMI (23.92 ± 3.87 vs. 26.99 ± 5.87 kg/m2, respectively, P < 0.001), and WHR (0.733 ± 0.052 vs. 0.757 ± 0.068, P < 0.03). Also, plasma triglyceride (TG) levels were significantly lower in African-American women (81 ± 61 vs. 55 ± 24 mg/dL, P < 0.0001). Serum estrone sulfate (556 ± 323 vs. 442 ± 332 pg/mL, African-American vs. Caucasian, P < 0.001), estradiol (55.1 ± 43.6 vs. 35.8 ± 17.7 pg/mL, P < 0.0001), androstenedione (2.6 ± 0.9 vs. 1.6 ± 0.7 ng/mL, P < 0.0001) and testosterone (0.36 ± 0.12 vs. 0.31 ± 0.19 ng/mL, P < 0.002) levels were significantly lower in African-American women than in Caucasian women. After correction for the effects of age, BMI and WHR, serum estradiol levels were significantly and positively associated with plasma HDL cholesterol levels in all women, and serum estrone sulfate levels with plasma total cholesterol and TG levels in African-American women.
Conclusions. Our results indicate that race is an important determinant of plasma TG and serum sex hormone levels, even after adjustment for differences in body size. A significant association between endogenous estradiol and HDL cholesterol levels exists in premenopausal women, independent of their race.
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