Established and Suspected Biomarkers of Cardiovascular Disease (CVD) Risk in Pre-Menopausal Lebanese Women

Abstract

Cardiovascular disease (CVD) is known to be caused by both environmental and non-environmental factors and the contribution of these factors seems to vary among different populations. Major nutritional biomarkers of CVD in 290 Lebanese pre-menopausal women were assessed. Diabetes, folate, and vitamin B₁₂ deficiencies were rare (below 0.5%) among the subjects. Abnormalities in lipid profile were more common, in which 16.7% of subjects had low HDL-cholesterol. Vitamin B₆ deficiency was also present at 14.5%. Low levels of HDL (established biomarker) and vitamin B₆ (suspected biomarker) seem to be the major nutritional abnormalities in Lebanese females of childbearing age.

KEYWORDS:

• Nutritional biomarkers
• CVD
• Homocysteine
• folate
• vitamin B₆
• vitamin B₁₂

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

This study was supported by the Lebanese National Council for Scientific Research and the University Research Board, American University of Beirut.

Notes

FAO/WHO. (2003). Diet, Nutrition and the prevention of chronic diseases. Report of a joint WHO/FAO expert consultation. World Health Organization, Geneva.