PLASMA-FIBRINOGEN IN RELATION TO SERUM-INSULIN, SMOKING-HABITS AND ADIPOSE-TISSUE FATTY-ACIDS IN HEALTHY-MEN

Recent prospective studies have reported an independent association be tween fibrinogen plasma levels and risk of cardiovascular events. Aim of this study was to investigate the relationships between fibrinogen level and conventional cardiovascular risk factors in a random sample of 38 year-old apparently healthy men (n = 94), and to verify whether the fatty acid composition of the diet might influence those relations . Anthropometric measurements, serum lipids, blood pressure, and smoki ng habits were evaluated. In addition, fasting and after glucose-load serum glucose and insulin concentrations were measured. The most signi ficant difference in fibrinogen level was found among the tertiles of fasting serum insulin (F-ANOVA = 4.5; P < 0.01) With the highest plasm a fibrinogen values in the third insulin tertile, whereas body mass in dex (BMI), waist/hip circumference ratio (WHR) and serum triglycerides were more weakly related. The current smokers had substantially highe r levels of fibrinogen than subjects who never smoked (P < 0.001). A m ultivariate regression analysis showed that, among the above reported variables, only serum insulin and smoking were independently associate d with plasma fibrinogen. Furthermore, as the possible association bet ween fatty acid composition of the diet and fibrinogen level regards, we have examined the fatty acid composition of adipose tissue, as a go od and objective index of quality of the dietary fat intake. It was fo und that, fibrinogen level was not associated with any adipose tissue fatty acid. In conclusion, this study performed in a random sample of healthy men indicates an independent relationship of fasting insulin a nd smoking to fibrinogen plasma level.