Serum glutathione in adolescent males predicts parental coronary heart disease

Background-Traditional risk factors account for only half of the morbidity and mortality from coronary heart disease (CHD). There is substantial evide nce that oxidative injury plays a major role in the atherosclerotic process . Thus, antioxidants may protect against development of atherosclerosis. Gl utathione, an intracellular tripeptide with antioxidant properties, may be protective. Methods and Results-This case-control study compared total serum glutathion e (tGSH) in 81 adolescent male offspring of parents with premature CHD (ie, before 56 years of age) and 78 control male offspring of parents without k nown or suspected CHD. Case offspring had significantly lower tGSH than con trol offspring. In multiple logistic regression with parental CHD status as the dependent variable, age entered as a covariate, and other CHD risk fac tors competing to enter the model as significant independent predictor vari ables, LDL cholesterol (odds ratio [OR], 2.15 [units=1.5 SD]; 95%, CI, 1.21 to 3.82), tGSH (OR, 0.40; 95% CI, 0.22 to 0.71), HDL cholesterol (OR, 0.42 ; 95% CI, 0.22 to 0.78), and total serum homocysteine (OR, 2.6; 95% CI, 1.3 5 to 5.02) entered the model as significant predictors of parental CHD stat us. Conclusions-Low tGSH in adolescent boys is a significant independent predic tor of parental CHD, in addition to elevated LDL cholesterol, low HDL chole sterol, and elevated total serum homocysteine concentrations.