Relationship between Serum Osteocalcin and Carotid Atherosclerosis in Middle-Aged Men in China: A Cross-Sectional Study

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: Numerous investigations found that there exists a close relationship between serum osteocalcin and incurrence of atherosclerosis, but studies investigating the effect of serum osteocalcin on carotid atherosclerosis are very limited. Our study is aimed at investigating the role of osteocalcin in carotid atherosclerosis in middle-aged men in China. METHODS: A total of 335 male middle-aged participants (40-60, 52.4 ± 3.87 years averagely) were enrolled from the institute. The carotid intima-media thicknesses (CIMT) of each subject were measured. All subjects were included either in the carotid atherosclerosis (AS) group or the control group according to the CAS diagnosis criteria. Serum osteocalcin and other markers of each patient were assessed following standard laboratory tests protocol. RESULTS: 135 subjects were included in AS group, and 199 subjects were included in control group. The average osteocalcin level in AS group was 18.71 ± 6.20 ng/ml and was significantly different from that in control group, which was 20.38 ± 7.19 ng/ml (p=0.039). Logistic regression analysis revealed that OCN (standardized β=-0.024, p=0.013) and FINS (standardized β=-0.065, p=0.010) were independently and inversely associated with the carotid atherosclerosis, while FPG (standardized β=0.538, p=0.006) was independently and positively associated with the carotid atherosclerosis. CONCLUSION: Our study suggests that OCN is independently related to carotid atherosclerosis in middle-aged male individuals.