Markers of endothelial activity are related to components of the metabolic syndrome, but not to circulating concentrations of the advanced glycation end-product N epsilon-carboxymethyl-lysine in healthy Swedish men.

Endothelial function is considered important in the development of cardiovascular diseases and type 2 diabetes. Circulating advanced glycation end-products (AGEs) and dietary components have been shown to affect endothelial function in type 2 diabetics, but determinants of endothelial function in a non-diabetic population are more poorly investigated. Therefore, we investigated relationships between dietary habits, AGEs and endothelial activation in men with isolated metabolic disturbances. Circulating markers of endothelial activation (soluble forms of vascular cell adhesion molecule-1, intercellular adhesion molecule-1, E-selectin and von Willebrand factor) and plasma N epsilon-carboxymethyl-lysine (CML, the predominant AGE in human plasma) were analyzed in a cross-sectional study of 294 healthy men. Individuals completed a 7-day dietary record, and metabolic and inflammatory parameters were determined. NCEP/ATPIII-criteria were used to define the metabolic syndrome. Endothelial activation was higher in individuals with the metabolic syndrome, and was positively related to certain features of the syndrome (insulin, glucose, inflammation and obesity), but not to others (triacylglycerol and blood pressure). Dietary factors were related to endothelial activation, but CML was not. Multivariate analysis revealed energy and alcohol intake, along with insulin and markers of oxidative stress and inflammation, to be positive predictors of endothelial activation. In this cohort of otherwise healthy men, endothelial activation was increased in individuals with the full metabolic syndrome, but not in those with only some of the components of the metabolic syndrome. Insulin resistance, inflammation, oxidative stress, the dietary intake of energy and alcohol, but not plasma CML, predicted endothelial activation in these men.