Progesterone levels and carotid intima-media thickness: a negative association in older northern Chinese men

In experimental research, progesterone has been found to be beneficial to the central nervous and cardiovascular systems; however, its potential role in preventing atherosclerosis in elderly men remains unclear. In this prospective study, we analyzed data in 385 older men and women from 6 communities in Beijing, China, in order to discover whether progesterone is associated with carotid intima-media thickness and plaque occurrence. Intima-media thickness and atherosclerotic plaques were determined by use of ultrasonography. Sex-hormone levels were measured by immunoassay. The data were analyzed via analysis of covariance and logistic regression analysis; P < 0.05 was considered statistically significant. We found a negative association between mean intima-media thickness and progesterone concentration in men, before and after adjustments for such traditional risk factors of atherosclerosis as age, triglyceride levels, total and low-density lipoprotein cholesterol levels, high-sensitivity C-reactive protein, systolic blood pressure, waist-to-hip ratio, and body mass index (analysis of covariance, P = 0.007 and P = 0.015, respectively). However, no such association was found in women (P = 0.304 and P = 0.247, respectively). In the logistic regression model that was adjusted for the confounding factors of atherosclerosis, men with progesterone levels in the lowest quartile (