The aim of the present study was to investigate, if increased levels of apoB/apoA-I ratios are associated with future peripheral arterial disease as measured by ankle-brachial index. Increased apoB/apoA-I levels are defined as 0.9, which has been suggested for men, and as 0.63, which has observed to be associated with plaques in the femoral artery. The study was performed in a cohort of initially clinically healthy 58-year-old men living in the city of Göteborg, Sweden.The group with an apoB/apoA-I ratio > or =0.9 had a significantly increased risk of having PAD during 8.9 years of follow-up than the group below that level (OR: 2.15 CI: 1.21 to 3.82, p < 0.01). When applying the lower apoB/apoA-I cut off, results showed that the group with a level >0.63 had more than a three-fold risk of future PAD compared to the group < or =0.63 (OR: 3.28 CI: 1.14 to 9.40, p < 0.05).