Cholesteryl Ester Transfer Protein, Coronary Calcium, and Intima-Media Thickness of the Carotid Artery in Middle-Age Japanese Men

The relation between cholesteryl ester transfer protein (CETP) levels and atherosclerosis is controversial. We examined whether the serum CETP levels were associated with subclinical atherosclerosis, independent of its most common gene variant, in a sample of Japanese men. A population-based cross-sectional study of 250 Japanese men aged 40 to 49 years was conducted to assess the intima-media thickness of the carotid artery, coronary artery calcium, serum CETP levels, and the CETP D442G gene variant. Compared with the lowest CETP quartile, the multivariate adjusted odds ratio for coronary artery calcium was 0.77 (95% confidence interval 0.18 to 3.36), 0.96 (95% confidence interval 0.27 to 3.40), and 3.49 (95% confidence interval 1.05 to 11.6) with increasing CETP quartiles. The serum CETP quartiles were also positively associated with the intima-media thickness of the carotid artery (adjusted mean 602, 616, 615, and 646 μm for the lowest to top quartile, respectively). The findings remained unchanged after additional adjustment for the CETP D442G gene variant. No significant difference was found in the prevalence of coronary artery calcium or in the mean intima-media thickness of the carotid artery between participants with and without the CETP D442G gene variant.