Relationship between serum osteocalcin level and carotid intima-media thickness in a metabolically healthy Chinese population

Abstract

BackgroundThe relationship between osteocalcin and atherosclerosis remains unclear. This might be due to different degrees of confounding from factors that are associated with serum osteocalcin level, such as metabolic-related variables. This study aimed to investigate the relationship between serum osteocalcin level and carotid intima-media thickness (C-IMT) in a metabolically healthy population.MethodsA total of 476 subjects with normal values for weight, glucose tolerance, blood pressure, and lipids (age range, 20–75 years; 155 men, 201 premenopausal women, 120 postmenopausal women) from the Shanghai Obesity Study were recruited for this cross-sectional study. Subjects with a history of cardiovascular disease or carotid plaque were excluded. C-IMT was measured by ultrasonography. Serum osteocalcin level was assessed by an electrochemiluminescence immunoassay.ResultsMedian C-IMT in the entire study population was 0.55 mm with an interquartile range of 0.50–0.60 mm. C-IMT in premenopausal women was significantly lower than that in men and postmenopausal women (all P < 0.001). The median (interquartile range) of serum osteocalcin level in the entire population was 17.02 (13.31–21.47) ng/mL. Serum osteocalcin level in postmenopausal women was significantly higher than that in men and premenopausal women (all P < 0.001), while the level of serum osteocalcin in men was also significantly higher than that in premenopausal women (P < 0.001). No significant correlation was found between C-IMT and serum osteocalcin level in either men or postmenopausal women. There was a significant, inverse correlations between C-IMT and serum osteocalcin level in premenopausal women after adjustment of age, but this association was eliminated after adjustment for other confounding factors.ConclusionsSerum osteocalcin level was not independently associated with C-IMT in a metabolically healthy Chinese population.

Serum osteocalcin level is associated with the mortality in Chinese patients with Fibrodysplasia ossificans progressiva aged ≤18 years at diagnosis

“…Then, it begins to decrease at the age of 20 years in males and females [16]. It has been reported that the serum OC level is 50-150 ng/mL in children, whereas it is 12-20 ng/mL in healthy adults [17]. In our study, the OC level was 87.7±32.7…”

“…ng/mL in survivors of FOP patients when diagnosed ≤18 years, which was within the reference range of serum OC level in children according to the previous studies [16,17]. However, serum OC level in non-survivors of FOP patients ≤18 years at diagnosis (48.7±15.5 ng/mL), which was below the reference range in the previous studies, was significantly lower than that in survivors.…”

Osteocalcin as a potential risk biomarker for cardiovascular and metabolic diseases

“…Specifically, a large 8.7 year longitudinal (primarily retrospective) study in the Korean population reported that total OC was not associated with the development of CV disease, although OC values were inversely correlated with obesity and abnormal plasma glucose and lipids [12]. In addition, such relationship was also not found in 476 metabolically healthy Chinese subjects of both genders [20].…”

Association of Serum Osteocalcin with Insulin Resistance and Coronary Atherosclerosis

“…[27] There has also been a report that in both healthy men and premenopausal and postmenopausal women, osteocalcin has no independent correlation with the carotid intima-media thickness. [28] Therefore, osteocalcin concentration may have a miniscule or limited impact on the development of atherosclerosis.…”