Factors influencing endothelial function in healthy pre- and post-menopausal women of the EU-RISC study

Abstract

Background: We studied the impact of lifestyle, body composition, different insulin sensitivity indices and the first insulin response in healthy pre- and post-menopausal women with a low cardiovascular risk profile (the EU-RISC study, ‘Relationship between Insulin Sensitivity and Cardiovascular Disease’ ( n = 51, 47 ± 4 years, body mass index 23.6 ± 3.7 kg/m2, waist girth 79.2 ± 10.3 cm) on endothelial function (flow mediated arterial dilatation (FMD)), an early marker for atherosclerosis. Results: Waist circumference ( p = 0.06), tobacco consumption ( p = 0.02) and leucocyte count ( p = 0.09) were inversely related with FMD in both pre- and post-menopausal women. Neither insulin sensitivity nor first insulin response indices were correlated with FMD. In pre-menopausal women ( n = 24), waist ( p < 0.02), waist-to-hip ratio ( p < 0.02), HDL cholesterol ( p < 0.01) and smoking habits ( p < 0.03) were significantly correlated with endothelial function. In postmenopausal women ( n = 27) age ( r = −0.17, p = 0.04) was related with FMD. Conclusion: Smoking and waist circumference, a simple marker of visceral adiposity, were related with endothelial function in healthy pre- and post-menopausal women.