Associations Between Life-Course Lipid Trajectories and Subclinical Atherosclerosis in Midlife

ImportanceChildhood lipid levels have been associated with adult subclinical atherosclerosis; however, life-course lipid trajectories and their associations with cardiovascular disease risk are poorly characterized.ObjectivesTo examine the associations of lipid levels at different ages and discrete lipid trajectory patterns from childhood to adulthood with subclinical atherosclerosis in midlife.Design, Setting, and ParticipantsThis cohort study used data from the Bogalusa Heart Study, a prospective, population-based cohort study conducted in a semirural, biracial community in Bogalusa, Louisiana, with follow-up from 1973 to 2016 (median follow-up, 36.8 years). Participants had 4 to 16 repeated measurements of lipids, including total cholesterol (TC), non–high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (non-HDL-C), low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C), high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C), and triglycerides (TG), from childhood to midlife and adult measurement of carotid intima-media thickness (IMT). Statistical analyses were conducted from July 1 to December 31, 2021.ExposuresAge-specific lipid levels were estimated, and lipid trajectory patterns were identified using latent mixture modeling.Main Outcomes and MeasuresSubclinical atherosclerosis measured by carotid IMT.ResultsThe study evaluated 1201 adults (mean [SD] age, 45.7 [6.8] years; 691 [57.5%] women and 510 [42.5%] men; 392 Black [32.6%] and 809 White [67.4%] individuals). Levels of all lipids at each age from 5 to 45 years were significantly associated with adult IMT. The magnitude of associations generally increased with age, and non-HDL-C (age 5 y: β, 0.040; 95% CI, 0.025-0.055; age 45 y, β, 0.049; 95% CI, 0.026-0.072) and LDL-C (age 5 y: β, 0.039; 95% CI, 0.024-0.054; age 45 y, β, 0.043; 95% CI, 0.023-0.063) showed the strongest associations. After adjusting for race, sex, and other cardiovascular risk factors, mean IMT values were significantly higher in the low–slow increase, low–rapid increase, and high-stable trajectory groups for TC (eg, high-stable group: mean difference, 0.152 mm; 95% CI, 0.059-0.244 mm), the low–slow increase, low–rapid increase, moderate-stable, and high–stable trajectory groups for non-HDL-C (eg, low–slow increase group: mean difference, 0.048 mm; 95% CI, 0.012-0.085 mm) and LDL-C (eg, low–rapid increase group: mean difference, 0.104 mm; 95% CI, 0.056-0.151 mm) and the low–rapid increase and moderate-stable trajectory groups for TG (eg, moderate-stable group: mean difference, 0.071 mm; 95% CI, 0.019-0.122 mm) vs the corresponding low-stable trajectory groups. These associations were slightly attenuated after further adjustment for lipid levels at baseline or follow-up. There were no significant differences in mean IMT among HDL-C trajectory groups.Conclusions and RelevanceIn this cohort study, discrete life-course lipid trajectories were associated with the development of atherosclerosis in midlife. The findings emphasize the importance of maintaining optimal lipid levels across the lifespan.