Association between circadian preference and blood lipid levels using a 1:1:1 propensity score matching analysis.

BACKGROUND

Previous studies indicate that circadian preference is associated with various energy metabolism and metabolic disorders. However, little is known about the associations between a circadian rhythm and blood lipid levels, especially in humans.

OBJECTIVE

The aim of the study was to investigate whether the circadian rhythm affects serum lipid levels in Korean adults.

METHODS

We designed a cross-sectional study to evaluate the associations between circadian preference and blood lipid levels in Korean adults. A total of 1984 participants (range of age 19-81 years) were included in this study. Propensity scores were calculated using logistic regression with age, sex, and body mass index. A total of 435 subjects were evaluated by propensity score matching analysis, equally distributed into morningness, intermediate, and eveningness groups, each with 145 subjects. Circadian preference was evaluated by the Morningness-Eveningness Questionnaire.

RESULTS

Participants with the evening preference had significantly higher levels of total cholesterol, triglyceride, low-density lipoprotein cholesterol, and non-high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (non-HDL-C) when compared with those with morning or intermediate preference, after adjusting for confounding variables. Regarding other lipid parameters, both total cholesterol/HDL-C and low-density lipoprotein cholesterol/HDL-C in the evening preference are significantly higher than those of other circadian preferences. Evening preference was also significantly associated with a higher atherogenic index of plasma.

CONCLUSION

Our study demonstrates that there is a significant association between circadian preference and blood lipid levels. Our findings suggest that individuals with evening preference could have a greater risk of atherosclerotic cardiovascular diseases.