Plasma homocysteine levels are independently associated with alterations of large artery stiffness in men but not in women

Objectives To investigate the associations of the plasma homocysteine (HCY) levels with the alterations in arterial stiffness in a community-based cohort. The gender differences in these associations were examined. Methods We evaluated the relationship between plasma HCY levels to three measures of vascular function carotid-femoral pulse wave velocity (CF-PWV), carotid-ankle PWV (CA-PWV) and heart rate corrected augmentation index (AI) in 1680 participants (mean age: 61.5 years; 709 men, 971 women) from communities of Beijing, China. Results In univariate analysis, plasma HCY levels was positively related to the CF-PWV (r = 0.211, P r = 0.148, P r = ?0.052, P = 0.016). In multiple linear regression models adjusting for covariants, plasma HCY remained positively related to the CF-PWV (standardized β = 0.065, P = 0.007) in total cases. When the groups of men and women were examined separately, plasma HCY remained positively associated with the CF-PWV (standardized β = 0.082, P = 0.023) in men, whereas the relations between HCY and any of the arterial stiffness indices were not further present in women. Conclusions In Chinese population, plasma HCY levels are independently associated with alterations of large artery stiffness in men but not in women.