Abstract 17437: Hyperinsulinemia and Cardiovascular Disease in Japan and the United States

Introduction: Age adjusted cardiovascular disease (CVD) prevalence rates are significantly lower in Japan than in the United States although the levels of lipids have become similar. Hypothesis: Levels of insulin and insulin resistance may account for the population differences in CVD prevalence rates. Methods: We measured glucose, insulin, high density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C), low density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C), small dense LDL-C (sdLDL-C), and triglycerides in men and women from Fukuoka (n=1108) and age (median, 53 years) and in gender and age matched subjects from the Framingham (n=1101). Blood pressure, body mass index (BMI), use of medications, and history of CVD were also assessed. Results: CVD prevalence rates were more than six fold higher in Framingham men and women than their Fukuoka counterparts ( P P P P Conclusions: Our data are consistent with the concept that the CVD prevalence rate in a Japanese population are much lower than those observed in the United States, and that these differences cannot be explained by standard CVD risk factors, but may relate to marked population differences in levels of insulin and insulin resistance.