Abstract 14051: The Associations Between Loneliness and Circulating Lipoproteins as Well as Diabetes Risk in African-American Women Residing in Resource-Limited Neighborhoods: Data From the Step It Up Physical Activity Intervention

Abstract

Background: Loneliness is a public health crisis and recent reports suggest that people suffering from loneliness have increased cardiovascular disease (CVD) risk. A potential link between loneliness and CVD is an atherogenic shift in the lipoprotein profile. We investigated associations between loneliness and lipoproteins in African American (AA) women residing in resource-limited neighborhoods of Washington, DC. Methods: Participants were enrolled in Step It Up, a technology-based, community-engaged PA intervention. Fasting blood samples were drawn at baseline to measure lipoproteins using nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) technology. The Lipoprotein Insulin Resistance Index (LP-IR), a diabetes risk marker, was calculated. Loneliness was measured using the UCLA Loneliness scale. Associations between loneliness, lipoprotein particles and LP-IR were analyzed using multivariable regression adjusted for BMI, ASCVD 10-year risk score, and lipid-lowering therapy. Results: 106 AA women with CVD risk (Age 55.9±13, BMI 36.3±6.7) were enrolled into Step It Up. We found that higher loneliness at baseline was associated with higher Apo-B, LDL concentration (LDL-c), and LDL particle number (LDL-p) but not with LDL particle size (LDL-z, Table). We observed that higher loneliness associated with increased triglyceride rich lipoprotein size (TRL-z). This relationship seems to be due to very large and large TRL particles (TRL-p, Table). No significant associations were found with the HDL-related measures. Lastly, loneliness significantly associated with LP-IR, a new diabetes risk marker (Table). Conclusions: Thus, our data show that higher loneliness in AA women from under resourced neighborhoods is associated with increased hyperlipidemia and diabetes risk. This highlights a potential mechanism by which loneliness may accelerate CVD risk and support the urgent need for multilevel interventions to reduce loneliness and CVD risk in at-risk populations.