Associations of serum transthyretin with triglyceride in non-obese elderly Japanese women independently of insulin resistance, HDL cholesterol, and adiponectin

Objective Studies are limited on the association between serum transthyretin (TTR), a negative acute phase reactant, and triglyceride (TG). Research design and methods TG, TTR, and insulin resistance-related cardiometabolic variables were measured in 159 fasting and 185 nonfasting community-dwelling elderly women aged 50–96 years. Pearson correlation analysis and then stepwise multiple regression analyses were performed to further identify the most significant variables contributing to the variation of fasting and nonfasting TG. Results Multiple regression analysis for fasting TG as a dependent variable revealed that TTR (standardized β: 0.299) and HDL cholesterol (standardized β: -0.545) emerged as determinants of TG independently of percentage of body fat, homeostasis model assessment insulin resistance, serum leptin and adiponectin, and plasminogen activator inhibitor-1 (PAI-1) ( R 2 = 0.36). For nonfasting TG, HDL cholesterol (standardized β : − 0.461), TTR (standardized β : 0.231), nonfasting insulin, a marker of insulin resistance, (standardized β : 0.202), and PAI-1 (standardized β : 0.187) emerged as determinants independently of percentage of body fat, nonfasting glucose, serum leptin and adiponectin, and high-sensitivity C-reactive protein ( R 2 = 0.45). Conclusions Fasting and nonfasting TG showed positive association with TTR in community-dwelling elderly non-obese women independently of insulin resistance, HDL cholesterol, and adiponectin. These findings may provide a clue as to a physiological function of circulating TTR in human: an influence factor of TG-rich lipoproteins in the circulation.