Table 4.
Associations between blood lipid biomarkers and 10-year CVD incidence stratified by age, sex, body weight status, adherence to the Mediterranean diet, use of lipid-lowering medication and presence of hypercholesterolemia (n = 2020)
| 10-year CVD incidence | ||||||
| Age | ||||||
| ≤45 years (n = 1080) | > 45 years (n = 940) | |||||
| RR | 95%CI | P value | RR | 95%CI | P value | |
| TC, mg/dL | 1.013 | 1.001, 1.026 | 0.030 | 1.001 | 0.997, 1.005 | 0.795 |
| LDL-C, mg/dL | 1.013 | 1.000, 1.027 | 0.049 | 0.999 | 0.994, 1.003 | 0.516 |
| HDL-C, mg/dL | 0.999 | 0.981, 1.027 | 0.543 | 0.990 | 0.977, 1.000 | 0.050 |
| TG, mg/dL | 1.001 | 0.997, 1.005 | 0.692 | 1.001 | 1.000, 1.002 | 0.041 |
| Lp(a), mg/dL | 1.003 | 0.991, 1.016 | 0.611 | 1.005 | 1.000, 1.009 | 0.048 |
| Sex | ||||||
| Males (n = 1006) | Females (n = 1014) | |||||
| RR | 95%CI | P value | RR | 95%CI | P value | |
| TC, mg/dL | 1.002 | 0.998, 1.007 | 0.269 | 1.004 | 0.997, 1.011 | 0.301 |
| LDL-C, mg/dL | 1.001 | 0.996, 1.005 | 0.731 | 1.004 | 0.995, 1.013 | 0.354 |
| HDL-C, mg/dL | 0.992 | 0.976, 1.009 | 0.347 | 0.996 | 0.978, 1.014 | 0.663 |
| TG, mg/dL | 1.001 | 1.000, 1.002 | 0.050 | 1.000 | 0.997, 1.004 | 0.937 |
| Lp(a), mg/dL | 1.000 | 0.994, 1.006 | > 0.999 | 1.007 | 1.001, 1.013 | 0.024 |
| Body weight status | ||||||
| Normal-weight (n = 845) | Overweight/obese (n = 1175) | |||||
| RR | 95%CI | P value | RR | 95%CI | P value | |
| TC, mg/dL | 1.009 | 1.000, 1.018 | 0.050 | 1.002 | 0.998, 1.006 | 0.410 |
| LDL-C, mg/dL | 1.011 | 1.000, 1.022 | 0.048 | 1.000 | 0.996, 1.005 | 0.864 |
| HDL-C, mg/dL | 0.992 | 0.968, 1.017 | 0.518 | 0.994 | 0.980, 1.007 | 0.370 |
| TG, mg/dL | 1.002 | 0.998, 1.005 | 0.307 | 1.001 | 1.000, 1.002 | 0.010 |
| Lp(a), mg/dL | 1.006 | 0.998, 1.015 | 0.153 | 1.001 | 0.997, 1.006 | 0.653 |
| Adherence to the Mediterranean diet | ||||||
| High (n = 1000) | Low (n = 1020) | |||||
| RR | 95%CI | P value | RR | 95%CI | P value | |
| TC, mg/dL | 1.003 | 0.992, 1.014 | 0.599 | 1.002 | 0.998, 1.006 | 0.304 |
| LDL-C, mg/dL | 0.995 | 0.982, 1.009 | 0.511 | 1.001 | 0.997, 1.005 | 0.658 |
| HDL-C, mg/dL | 0.999 | 0.963, 1.035 | 0.943 | 0.992 | 0.979, 0.999 | 0.049 |
| TG, mg/dL | 1.008 | 0.997, 1.019 | 0.143 | 1.001 | 1.000, 1.002 | 0.050 |
| Lp(a), mg/dL | 1.008 | 0.996, 1.021 | 0.192 | 1.002 | 0.997, 1.007 | 0.360 |
| Use of lipid-lowering medication | ||||||
| Yes (n = 106) | No (n = 1914) | |||||
| RR | 95%CI | P value | RR | 95%CI | P value | |
| TC, mg/dL | 1.000 | 0.992, 1.006 | 0.761 | 1.005 | 1.000, 1.009 | 0.031 |
| LDL-C, mg/dL | 0.996 | 0.987, 1.004 | 0.314 | 1.004 | 1.000, 1.009 | 0.050 |
| HDL-C, mg/dL | 0.995 | 0.959, 1.032 | 0.780 | 0.992 | 0.979, 1.005 | 0.235 |
| TG, mg/dL | 1.003 | 1.001, 1.006 | 0.016 | 1.000 | 0.999, 1.002 | 0.461 |
| Lp(a), mg/dL | 1.002 | 0.983, 1.063 | 0.805 | 1.003 | 0.998, 1.008 | 0.194 |
| Presence of hypercholesterolemia | ||||||
| Yes (n = 839) | No (n = 1181) | |||||
| RR | 95%CI | P value | RR | 95%CI | P value | |
| TC, mg/dL | 1.002 | 0.997, 1.065 | 0.399 | 1.003 | 0.993, 1.012 | 0.605 |
| LDL-C, mg/dL | 1.001 | 0.996, 1.006 | 0.768 | 1.001 | 0.991, 1.011 | 0.845 |
| HDL-C, mg/dL | 0.980 | 0.964, 0.996 | 0.015 | 1.007 | 0.990, 1.025 | 0.424 |
| TG, mg/dL | 1.001 | 1.000, 1.002 | 0.050 | 1.000 | 0.998, 1.002 | 0.786 |
| Lp(a), mg/dL | 1.003 | 0.997, 1008 | 0.385 | 1.003 | 0.995, 1.011 | 0.456 |
The results are presented as relative risks (RRs) with their 95% confidence intervals (CIs), as derived from multivariate Cox proportional hazard models
All models were adjusted for age, sex, body mass index, smoking status, MedDietScore, physical activity level, presence of hypercholesterolemia, hypertension and diabetes mellitus at baseline, use of lipid-lowering medication, and family history of cardiovascular disease, but in each sensitivity model, the variable used for stratification was removed
CVD Cardiovascular disease, HDL-C High-density lipoprotein cholesterol, LDL-C Low-density lipoprotein cholesterol, Lp(a) Lipoprotein(a), TC Total cholesterol, TG Triglycerides