Key result
Female sex was associated with more favorable cardiometabolic trajectories from childhood to young adulthood, including a 0.85 SD decrease in small VLDL particle concentrations leading to 0.42 SD lower levels compared to males at age 25.
Why the study?
Changes occurring in molecular causal risk factors and predictive biomarkers for cardiometabolic diseases across early life were not well characterised.
Does female sex compared to male sex associate with different longitudinal trajectories of molecular cardiometabolic traits from childhood to young adulthood?
Cohort (n=7,626)
Does female sex compared to male sex associate with different longitudinal trajectories of molecular cardiometabolic traits from childhood to young adulthood?
Childhood and adolescence represent critical developmental windows where marked sex differences in atherogenic lipid profiles and cardiometabolic risk markers emerge, largely to the detriment of males.
Answers are grounded in this paper and cite their sources.
Female sex was associated with favorable cardiometabolic trajectories; extends cross-sectional data but leaves open effects on later CVD events.
BACKGROUND: The changes which typically occur in molecular causal risk factors and predictive biomarkers for cardiometabolic diseases across early life are not well characterised. METHODS: We quantified sex-specific trajectories of 148 metabolic trait concentrations including various lipoprotein subclasses from age 7 years to 25 years. Data were from 7065 to 7626 offspring (11 702 to14 797 repeated measures) of the Avon Longitudinal Study of Parents and Children birth cohort study. Outcomes were quantified using nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy at 7, 15, 18 and 25 years. Sex-specific trajectories of each trait were modelled using linear spline multilevel models. RESULTS: Females had higher very-low-density lipoprotein (VLDL) particle concentrations at 7 years. VLDL particle concentrations decreased from 7 years to 25 years with larger decreases in females, leading to lower VLDL particle concentrations at 25 years in females. For example, females had a 0.25 SD (95% CI 0.20 to 0.31) higher small VLDL particle concentration at 7 years; mean levels decreased by 0.06 SDs (95% CI -0.01 to 0.13) in males and 0.85 SDs (95% CI 0.79 to 0.90) in females from 7 years to 25 years, leading to 0.42 SDs (95% CI 0.35 to 0.48) lower small VLDL particle concentrations in females at 25 years. Females had lower high-density lipoprotein (HDL) particle concentrations at 7 years. HDL particle concentrations increased from 7 years to 25 years with larger increases among females leading to higher HDL particle concentrations in females at 25 years. CONCLUSION: Childhood and adolescence are important periods for the emergence of sex differences in atherogenic lipids and predictive biomarkers for cardiometabolic disease, mostly to the detriment of males.
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O’Keeffe et al. (2023) conducted a cohort in Healthy cohort (cardiometabolic risk markers) (n=7,626). Female sex vs. Male sex was evaluated on Difference in small VLDL particle concentrations at 25 years (0.42 SD lower, 95% CI 0.35-0.48). Female sex was associated with more favorable cardiometabolic trajectories from childhood to young adulthood, including a 0.85 SD decrease in small VLDL particle concentrations leading to 0.42 SD lower levels compared to males at age 25.
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