Risk stratification of apolipoprotein B, apolipoprotein A1, and apolipoprotein B/AI ratio on the prevalence of the metabolic syndrome: the ATTICA study

We investigated the association of apolipoproteins AI and B in relation to the prevalence of metabolic syndrome in a random sample of cardiovascular disease-free adults from the ATTICA study (1,514 men, aged 18-87 y; 1,528 women, aged 18-89 y). Metabolic syndrome was defined according to the National Cholesterol Education Program Adult Treatment Panel III criteria. The prevalence of metabolic syndrome was 25% in men and 15% in women (P <.001). Using the area under the Receiver Operation Characteristic curve, apolipoprotein B/AI was the best diagnostic marker of metabolic syndrome, the optimal discriminating cut-off value of this ratio was 0.72 (sensitivity 74%, specificity 67%), and individuals with apolipoprotein B/Al ratio greater than 0.74 had 3.29 times higher odds of having metabolic syndrome (95% confidence interval: 2.56-4.21) after adjusting for potential confounders.