Evidence for an independent relationship between plasma insulin and concentration of high density lipoprotein cholesterol and triglyceride.

Increased plasma insulin and triglycerides and decreased high density lipoprotein concentrations are primary risk factors in the development of coronary artery disease. The aim of the present study was to verify whether there was an independent relationship between plasma insulin levels and both HDL cholesterol and triglyceride in a worker population of 607 subjects, 389 men and 218 women, aged 23-73 years. An oral glucose tolerance test (75 g) was performed. Plasma glucose, insulin, triglyceride and HDL cholesterol were measured at fasting, plasma glucose and insulin were determined also 1 h and 2 h after glucose load. The results, examined separately in men and women documented a significant negative relationship between plasma insulin and HDL cholesterol level, as well as pointing out that both HDL cholesterol and insulin are significantly correlated to degree of hypertriglyceridemia, degree of obesity and level of glucose tolerance. The partial correlation coefficients between HDL cholesterol and plasma insulin levels at fasting in men and post-glucose load in women, demonstrated an independent relationship between increased plasma insulin and decreased plasma HDL concentration. However, the strongest relationship, revealed by partial correlation coefficient analysis, was between the degree of hyperinsulinemia and hypertriglyceridemia.