Atherogenic dyslipidemia is a risk factor for cardiovascular diseases. The present study aimed to evaluate the association between triglycerides (TG), high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C), and the triglycerides to high-density lipoprotein (TG/HDL-C) ratio with carotid-femoral pulse wave velocity (cf-PWV), a marker of vascular stiffness. Anthropometric, biochemical, and clinical data from 13,732 adults were used to assess this association. Individuals within the third TG/HDL-C tertile presented worse anthropometric, biochemical, and clinical profiles as compared with the participants in the lower TG/HDL-C tertile. There was a linear association between TG, HDL-C, and TG/HDL-C ratio and cf-PWV in both men and women (stronger in women). After adjustment for confounders, lower levels of HDL-C were associated with increased cf-PWV in men (9.63 ± .02 m/s) and women (8.90 ± .03 m/s). However, TG was not significantly associated with cf-PWV after adjustment, regardless of sex. An increased TG/HDL-C ratio is associated with higher cf-PWV only in women (9.01 ± .03 m/s), but after adjustment for HDL-C levels, the association was non-significant (8.99 ± .03 m/s). These results highlight the stronger association of HDL-C with arterial stiffness, and that the association of TG/HDL-C with cf-PWV is dependent on HDL-C.
Keywords: arterial stiffness; high-density lipoprotein cholesterol; triglycerides; triglycerides/high-density lipoprotein cholesterol ratio.