Circulating Retinol-Binding Protein 4 and Subclinical Cardiovascular Disease in the Elderly

OBJECTIVE: We evaluated associations of serum retinol-binding protein 4 (RBP4) with subclinical cardiovascular disease (CVD). RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS: Subclinical CVD was measured with echocardiography, carotid artery ultrasound, brachial artery ultrasound, and invasive forearm endothelial vasoreactivity in 1,008 70-year-old participants (50% women) of the Prospective Investigation of the Vasculature in Uppsala Seniors (PIVUS) study. RESULTS: In analyses adjusted for multiple CVD risk factors, we observed inverse associations of RBP4 with carotid artery intima-media (β −0.39, 95% CI −0.55 to −0.22) and plaque (β −0.33, 95% CI −0.60 to −0.05) echogenicity (gray scale median). CONCLUSIONS: Circulating RBP4 concentrations were inversely associated with intima-media and plaque echogenicity in carotid arteries. These findings imply that RBP4 could be involved in the development of atherosclerosis.