Apolipoprotein A-I/apolipoprotein B ratio and aggression in violent and nonviolent young adult males

Epidemiological, clinical, and experimental studies have linked low or lowered cholesterol levels to aggressive behavior. However, no study has measured the relationship between aggression and apolipoprotein A-I/apolipoprotein B ratio, a robust indicator of cardiac risk. Plasma levels of total cholesterol, HDL-C, LDL-C, triglycerides, apolipoprotein A-I, and apolipoprotein B were measured and correlated with Aggression Questionnaire ratings in 20 young adult males with personality disorders and/or a high propensity toward aggressive behavior and in 40 control subjects. Compared with the control subjects, the subjects in the aggressive group had lower levels of apo A-I and a lower apo A-I/apo B ratio. Whereas in the control subjects, higher levels of aggression were correlated with lower levels of atherogenic lipoproteins (LDL-C and apo B), in the aggressive subjects higher levels of aggression were correlated with lower levels of anti-atherogenic lipoproteins (HDL-C and apo A-I) and higher levels of LDL-C. The results of this study confirm the existence of a relationship between blood lipids and aggressive behavior in young adult males and suggest that the apo A-I/apo B ratio might be an additional marker in the search for biological correlates of increased risk of violence.