Sex Differences in the Atherogenic Risk Index in Healthy Mexican Population and Its Relationship with Anthropometric and Psychological Factors

Abstract

Dyslipidemia is a risk factor for cardiovascular disease and mortality; however, the association of this variable with a wide range of personal and psychological variables has not been researched. Therefore, the aim of this study was to compare lipid levels and anthropometric measures between sexes and to determine the association between personal and psychological variables with the atherogenic risk index (ARI). An adult population which auto-reported as healthy was invited to participate via social media and in person. They filled out a questionnaire with personal and psychological variables; in addition, the body mass index (BMI) and waist-to-hip ratio (WHR) were measured, and a blood sample was obtained to determine serum lipids. A total of 172 participants were included, from which 92 (53.49%) were women; both sexes were comparable in age and most sociodemographic values. Men showed significantly higher levels of total cholesterol, LDL cholesterol, triglycerides, ARI, and lower levels of HDL cholesterol. The men also showed higher values of WHR than the women. In the bivariate analysis, ARI showed the highest correlation with WHR (r = 0.664) in the men and with BMI (r = 0.619) in the women. In the multivariate analysis, the quality of food intake was negatively correlated with ARI in the global and women’s samples, and the psychological variables of assertiveness and positive relations with others were negatively correlated with ARI in women, while purpose in life was negatively correlated with ARI in men. In conclusion, the higher levels of serum lipids and ARI in men can be explained by the higher values of WHR in this sex. Behavioral and psychological variables could be protective factors for high ARI.