Associations of resting heart rate with concentrations of lipoprotein subfractions in sedentary men.

In major prospective studies it has been reported that high heart rate at rest predicts the development of coronary heart disease (CHD) or cardiovascular disease (CVD) in men, but the mechanisms producing these relationships are unknown. Since lipoprotein levels contribute strongly to the risk of CHD and CVD, we examined the relationship of resting heart rate to plasma concentrations of high-density (HDL), low-density (LDL), and very low-density (VLDL) lipoproteins, apolipoprotein (apo) A-I and A-II, and serum concentrations of lipoprotein subfractions in 81 men to determine if atherogenic lipoproteins could potentially induce the reported association of heart rate with development of CHD or CVD. The significant (p less than or equal to .05) Spearman's correlations for resting heart rate vs HDL2 mass (rs = -.24), HDL3 mass (rs = -.40), HDL cholesterol (rs = -.36), apo A-I (rs = -.29), triglycerides (rs = .31), VLDL cholesterol (rs = .24), VLDL mass (rs = .27), and LDL mass of Sof 0-7 subfraction (rs = .30) lend support to our hypothesis of lipoprotein-induced relationships of CHD with heart rate. The correlations for resting heart rate vs triglycerides, HDL cholesterol, HDL3 mass, VLDL mass, and LDL mass of Sof 0-7 subfraction remain significant when adjusted for adiposity, age, smoking habits, diet, and physical fitness as measured by maximum aerobic power (VO2 max) or submaximal heart rate during a graded exercise test.