Objective: To assess the association of genetic polymorphisms related to cardiovascular disease (CVD) risk with anthropometric parameters and indices of androgenicity in healthy postmenopausal women. Design: Cross-sectional study in a University Menopause Clinic. Methods: The following polymorphisms were assessed in 84 healthy postmenopausal women: glycoprotein IIIa Leu33Pro, apolipoprotein E2/E3/E4, methylenetetrahydrofolate reductase (MTHFR) Ala222Val, apolipoprotein B Arg3500Gln, paraoxonase 1 Gln192Arg, plasminogen activator inhibitor 1 4G/5G, cholesterol-7 a-hydroxylase A-204C, and cholesterol ester transfer protein (TaqIB) B1/B2. Hormonal assays included FSH, LH, 17-b-estradiol, testosterone, sex hormone-binding globulin (SHBG), DHEA sulfate, D-4-androstenedione (D4A), free androgen index (FAI), free estrogen index (FEI), and homocysteine (Hcy). The anthropometric components were body mass index (BMI) and waist-to-hip ratio (WHR). Results: MTHFR Ala222Val polymorphism was positively associated with testosterone, FAI, and FEI (PZ0.001, PZ0.0004, and PZ0.014 respectively) and negatively with SHBG (PZ0.047). Furthermore, women bearing this polymorphism had higher BMI and WHR compared with women with the wild-type variant (PZ0.027 and PZ0.044 respectively). Conclusions: MTHFR Ala222Val polymorphism is associated with increased androgenicity and elevated BMI and WHR in healthy postmenopausal women. The significance of this association with respect to the CVD risk of postmenopausal women remains to be elucidated in future studies. European Journal of Endocrinology 159 233-241

These preliminary results indicate that alendronate has a differential effect on BMD, depending on the VDR genotype. Carriers of the b allele may be more responsive to treatment compared to patients with the BB genotype. The interaction of VDR's BsmI polymorphism with the efficacy of the anti-osteoporotic treatment needs further investigation by larger prospective studies.

The CYP A-204C polymorphism was positively associated with subclinical atherosclerosis in healthy postmenopausal women. It remains to be clarified whether the presence of these polymorphisms may be valuable in assessing the inherent risk among postmenopausal women.

No abstract

No abstract