Association between four nontraditional lipids and ischemic stroke: a cohort study in Shanghai, China

BACKGROUND: The correlation between nontraditional lipids and ischemic stroke (IS) is inconsistent and controversial. This study aimed to examine the association of four nontraditional lipids with IS risk in Chinese adults. METHODS: This prospective community-based cohort study was performed in Songjiang District, Shanghai, China. The study began in 2016 and included 34,294 participants without stroke before the investigation. The association between nontraditional lipids (nonhigh-density lipoprotein cholesterol [non-HDL-C], total cholesterol/high-density lipoprotein cholesterol [TC/HDL-C], triglyceride [TG]/HDL-C, and low-density lipoprotein cholesterol [LDL-C]/HDL-C) and IS was studied with multivariate Cox regression models. The dose–response associations between these four serum lipids and IS were explored using restricted cubic spline (RCS) analysis. RESULTS: There were a total of 458 IS cases with 166,380 person-years of follow-up. Compared with the lowest tertiles, the highest tertiles of the nontraditional blood lipids showed greater IS risk after controlling for potential confounders. The hazard ratios (HRs) and 95% confidence intervals (95% CIs) were as follows: TC/HDL-C, 1.63 (1.28–2.07); TG/HDL-C, 1.65 (1.28–2.13); LDL-C/HDL-C, 1.51 (1.18–1.92); and non-HDL-C, 1.43 (1.13–1.81). The fully adjusted RCS curves presented a nonlinear relationship, and the risk increased when the TC/HDL-C, TG/HDL-C, and LDL-C/HDL-C levels were > 3.47, > 0.92, and > 1.98, respectively. CONCLUSIONS: This community-based cohort study presents a positive association between the four nontraditional lipids and IS incidence. Maintaining relatively low lipid ratios can be beneficial for preventing stroke. Nontraditional lipids can be considered targets for managing blood lipids. SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1186/s12944-022-01683-1.