Apolipoprotein E polymorphism modulates the association between obesity and dyslipidemias during young adulthood: The Bogalusa Heart Study

To elucidate to what extent apolipoprotein (apo) E polymorphism modulates o besity-induced dyslipidemias during young adulthood, longitudinal data on 7 59 individuals (72% white/28% black; initial and follow-up mean age, 25.9 a nd 32.7 years) were examined. Among both races and the total sample, the ap o E2 group (with E2/2 or E2/3 phenotype) had significantly lower and the ap o E4 (with E4/4 or E3/4 phenotype) group higher low-density lipoprotein (LD L) cholesterol than the apo E3 (with E3/3 phenotype) group at both examinat ions. In addition, the apo E2 group displayed higher high-density lipoprote in (HDL) cholesterol in the total sample. No allele-specific effect was not ed for the longitudinal changes (Delta). An increase in Delta adiposity, me asured as Delta body mass index (BMI), was accompanied by higher increase i n Delta LDL cholesterol in the e4 carriers than the e2 carriers among the w hites (P < .05) and the total sample (P < .01); an increase in Delta trigly cerides end decrease in Delta HDL cholesterol in the e2 carriers than the e 4 carriers among all the groups (P < .05 to .001). Among the apo E phenotyp e groups, the incidence of high (>75th percentile specific for race and sex ) LDL cholesterol at follow-up was in the order E4 > E3 > E2 both in the ob ese (BMI > 30; P for trend = .033) and the nonobese (BMI < 25; P for trend = .035) groups. Although the increase of low (<25th percentile specific for race and sex) HDL cholesterol or high triglycerides showed no apo E phenot ype-specific trend, the incidence of high triglycerides without high LDL ch olesterol was in the order E2 > E3 > E4 only in the obese group (P for tren d = .025). The prevalence trend for dyslipidemias at follow-up among the pe rsistently obese and nonobese groups also gave similar results. Thus, apo E gene locus influences not only the levels of certain lipoprotein variables during young adulthood, but also modulates the association between obesity and dyslipidemias. Copyright (C) 2001 by W.B. Saunders Company.