Obesity alters VLDL profile and remnant cholesterol differently in metabolically healthy men and women: a ¹H-NMR study.

Publisher: BioMed Central Country of Publication: England NLM ID: 101147696 Publication Model: Electronic Cited Medium: Internet ISSN: 1476-511X (Electronic) Linking ISSN: 1476511X NLM ISO Abbreviation: Lipids Health Dis Subsets: MEDLINE

Original Publication: [London] : BioMed Central, 2002-

Obesity*/blood ; Triglycerides*/blood ; Cholesterol*/blood ; Lipoproteins, VLDL*/blood ; Lipoproteins*/blood ; Cholesterol, VLDL*/blood; Overweight/blood ; Cholesterol, HDL/blood ; Humans ; Male ; Female ; Adult ; Middle Aged ; Sex Factors ; Proton Magnetic Resonance Spectroscopy

Background and Aims: Lipoprotein particle (p) size and count beyond lipoprotein lipid content [triglycerides (tg) and cholesterol (c)] are critical for their atherogenicity. This study characterized lipoprotein profiles in metabolically healthy individuals with overweight or obesity and assessed the impact of sex, obesity, and lipid background.
Methods: Proton-nuclear magnetic resonance (¹H-NMR) was used to assess the composition of very low-, low-, intermediate-, and high-density lipoproteins (VLDL, LDL, IDL, HDL), and particle number and size of VLDL, LDL, and HDL in 101 healthy subjects with overweight and obesity.
Results: Men showed significantly higher VLDLc and VLDLtg levels, counts of VLDLp (all subfractions) and LDLp (total and small), and smaller LDLp size, compared to women. Men had lower HDLc and HDLp (total and medium). In Obesity (Ob) compared to overweight (Ov), VLDLp number, VLDLtg and remnant cholesterol (RC) levels were significantly increased [Fold changes (FC) Ob.vs.Ov: 1.45, 1.39, and 1.26, respectively]. When stratified by sex, obesity-related VLDL and IDL profile deterioration was evident only in women. Individuals with LDLc ≥ 130 mg/dL showed increased RC compared to those with LDLc < 130 mg/dL (FC:1.26). The median 10-year cardiovascular disease (CVD) risk REGICOR was low (2%), but higher in men and in obesity. Individuals with higher CVD risk showed increased VLDLc, VLDLtg, VLDLp, and RC levels.
Conclusion: Men had a higher 10-year CVD risk and a less favorable triglyceride-rich lipoprotein and RC profile, while obesity aggravated these patterns, particularly in women. These findings support considering high-risk lipoprotein patterns in targeted CVD prevention for overweight and obese populations.
(© 2025. The Author(s).)

Declarations. Competing interests: LB declares to have acted as SAB member of Sanofi, Ionnis and NovoNordisk; to have received speaker fees from Sanofi and NovoNordisk and to have founded the Spin-off Ivastatin Therapeutics S (all unrelated to this work).T.P. discloses to have received speaker fees from AB-BIOTICS S.A. and to be a co-founder of Spin-off Ivastatin Therapeutics S.L. (both unrelated to this study).G.V. discloses to be a co-founder of Spin-off Ivastatin Therapeutics S.L. (unrelated to this study).The remaining authors have no competing interests to declare.

Eur J Clin Invest. 2024 Dec;54(12):e14305. (PMID: 39159006)
Rev Esp Cardiol (Engl Ed). 2022 Nov;75(11):855-857. (PMID: 35787950)
Front Pediatr. 2022 Nov 22;10:887771. (PMID: 36483472)
Clin Chem. 2004 Jul;50(7):1189-200. (PMID: 15107310)
Circulation. 2005 Jun 28;111(25):3465-72. (PMID: 15983261)
Metabolism. 2020 Nov;112:154351. (PMID: 32891675)
Ann Neurol. 2019 Apr;85(4):550-559. (PMID: 30723955)
Circulation. 2006 Jan 3;113(1):20-9. (PMID: 16380547)
Front Cardiovasc Med. 2022 Oct 04;9:993633. (PMID: 36267630)
Cardiovasc Diabetol. 2022 Dec 31;21(1):293. (PMID: 36587202)
Circulation. 2002 Dec 17;106(25):3143-421. (PMID: 12485966)
Clin Interv Aging. 2020 Oct 02;15:1883-1896. (PMID: 33061337)
Lancet. 2016 Apr 02;387(10026):1377-1396. (PMID: 27115820)
Cardiovasc Res. 2024 May 29;120(7):708-722. (PMID: 38525555)
J Clin Lipidol. 2015 Jan-Feb;9(1):26-34. (PMID: 25670357)
Int J Mol Sci. 2020 Nov 26;21(23):. (PMID: 33256096)
Eur J Prev Cardiol. 2025 Feb 06;:. (PMID: 39910741)
Rev Esp Cardiol. 2011 May;64(5):385-94. (PMID: 21482004)
Nutrients. 2015 May 15;7(5):3705-23. (PMID: 25988764)
Eur J Prev Cardiol. 2019 May;26(8):824-835. (PMID: 30739508)
Diabetes Care. 2020 Jan;43(1):178-186. (PMID: 31597668)
J Am Coll Cardiol. 2007 Feb 6;49(5):547-53. (PMID: 17276177)
J Clin Endocrinol Metab. 2007 Apr;92(4):1311-8. (PMID: 17264179)
Eur Heart J. 2021 Nov 7;42(42):4324-4332. (PMID: 34293083)
Horm Metab Res. 2025 Jan;57(1):47-54. (PMID: 39059415)
J Endocr Soc. 2020 Apr 08;4(6):bvaa042. (PMID: 32500109)
Int J Cardiol. 2021 Jan 1;322:251-257. (PMID: 32810544)
Arch Intern Med. 2002 Sep 9;162(16):1867-72. (PMID: 12196085)
Eur Heart J. 2021 Dec 14;42(47):4791-4806. (PMID: 34472586)
Ann Intern Med. 2009 Jan 20;150(2):84-93. (PMID: 19153411)
Front Endocrinol (Lausanne). 2022 Oct 25;13:978745. (PMID: 36387872)
Obesity (Silver Spring). 2023 Jul;31(7):1894-1902. (PMID: 37227148)
Curr Opin Lipidol. 2017 Feb;28(1):11-18. (PMID: 27898581)
J Am Coll Cardiol. 2012 Aug 7;60(6):508-16. (PMID: 22796256)
Int J Obes (Lond). 2008 Nov;32(11):1655-64. (PMID: 18779822)
Int J Obes (Lond). 2024 Jul;48(7):934-940. (PMID: 38491191)
J Am Coll Cardiol. 2018 Feb 13;71(6):620-632. (PMID: 29420958)
Arch Intern Med. 2001 Feb 12;161(3):361-6. (PMID: 11176761)
Medicina (Kaunas). 2022 Feb 16;58(2):. (PMID: 35208622)
J Lipid Res. 2015 Mar;56(3):737-746. (PMID: 25568061)
Atherosclerosis. 2004 Oct;176(2):371-7. (PMID: 15380461)
J Am Coll Cardiol. 2020 Dec 8;76(23):2712-2724. (PMID: 33272365)
Atherosclerosis. 2009 Sep;206(1):276-81. (PMID: 19268944)
Arterioscler Thromb Vasc Biol. 2020 Oct;40(10):2481-2493. (PMID: 32847390)
Clin Chem. 2025 Apr 03;71(4):451-462. (PMID: 39723642)
Rev Esp Cardiol. 2003 Mar;56(3):253-61. (PMID: 12622955)
Eur Heart J. 2023 Oct 14;44(39):4157-4173. (PMID: 37611089)
Nutrients. 2024 Oct 18;16(20):. (PMID: 39458535)
Circulation. 2009 Feb 24;119(7):931-9. (PMID: 19204302)
JAMA Netw Open. 2018 Dec 7;1(8):e185708. (PMID: 30646282)
Nutrients. 2024 Oct 09;16(19):. (PMID: 39408385)
Healthcare (Basel). 2025 Feb 10;13(4):. (PMID: 39997250)
Adv Exp Med Biol. 2017;1043:227-256. (PMID: 29224098)
Atheroscler Plus. 2021 Sep 16;45:18-24. (PMID: 36643996)
Circulation. 2005 Oct 25;112(17):2735-52. (PMID: 16157765)
J Clin Med. 2021 Mar 29;10(7):. (PMID: 33805580)
BMC Cardiovasc Disord. 2023 Nov 1;23(1):533. (PMID: 37914996)
Atherosclerosis. 2019 May;284:24-30. (PMID: 30870704)
Rev Esp Cardiol (Engl Ed). 2022 Jan;75(1):22-30. (PMID: 33785266)
Nutrients. 2023 Dec 12;15(24):. (PMID: 38140343)
J Am Coll Cardiol. 2020 May 5;75(17):2122-2135. (PMID: 32354380)
Gend Med. 2009;6 Suppl 1:60-75. (PMID: 19318219)
Diabetes. 2018 Dec;67(12):2494-2506. (PMID: 30213825)
Lipids Health Dis. 2018 Jun 19;17(1):142. (PMID: 29921280)
Front Endocrinol (Lausanne). 2020 Jan 30;10:930. (PMID: 32082252)
Menopause. 2020 Jul;27(7):780-787. (PMID: 32187130)
J Clin Med. 2023 Jun 29;12(13):. (PMID: 37445434)

PID2021-128891OB-I00 Agencia Estatal de Investigación; PID2019-107160RB-I00 Agencia Estatal de Investigación; PI22/01930 Instituto de Salud Carlos III (ISCIII)

Keywords: Cardiovascular diseases; Lipoproteins; Nuclear magnetic resonance; Obesity; Remnant-cholesterol; Sex

0 (Triglycerides)
97C5T2UQ7J (Cholesterol)
0 (Lipoproteins, VLDL)
0 (Lipoproteins)
0 (Cholesterol, VLDL)
0 (remnant-like particle cholesterol)
0 (Cholesterol, HDL)

Date Created: 20250930 Date Completed: 20250930 Latest Revision: 20251002

20260130

PMC12482502

10.1186/s12944-025-02723-2

41024030