Relationship of low-density lipoprotein particle size to insulin resistance and intima-media thickness in nondiabetic Koreans

The aim of this study was to investigate whether low-density lipoprotein (LDL) particle size is associated with insulin resistance and to explore the association between LDL particle size and preclinical atherosclerosis in nondiabetic Korean population. We measured the carotid intima-media thickness (IMT), LDL particle size, and insulin resistance in 136 nondiabetic subjects. Low-density lipoprotein particle size was significantly correlated with insulin resistance, but the independent risk factors of LDL particle size determined by the multiple regression analysis were age, triglyceride, and high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C). Carotid IMT was associated with traditional risk factors of atherosclerosis, which are age, HDL-C, LDL cholesterol, systolic and diastolic blood pressure, but LDL particle size was not correlated with carotid IMT. We conclude that LDL particle size was associated with insulin resistance, but age, triglyceride, and HDL-C contributed independently to the variability in LDL particle size, and LDL particle size was not a predictor of preclinical atherosclerosis in nondiabetic Koreans.