Low osteocalcin levels up cardiovascular risk in women with hyperglycaemia

Among middle-aged and older women with hyperglycaemia, those with low osteocalcin levels are at high risk of cardiovascular diseases, according to a study.

The study included 1,428 participants (626 men and 802 women) who were 50–80 years of age, were free of cardiovascular diseases at baseline, and had osteocalcin data. Circulating total osteocalcin levels were measured using electrochemiluminescence immunoassay.

Of the participants, 437 had normoglycaemia and 991 had hyperglycaemia at baseline. Median circulating osteocalcin levels were 16.43 (13.34–20.19) ng/mL in men and 21.66 (17.95–26.11) ng/mL in women.

Over a mean follow-up of 7.6 years, 144 cases of cardiovascular diseases (10.1 percent) were documented. Multivariate Cox proportional hazards models showed that the risk of incident cardiovascular diseases had a negative association with baseline osteocalcin levels in women only (p=0.028 for interaction on sex).

Specifically, women in the lowest quartile of baseline osteocalcin levels had an increased risk of incident cardiovascular diseases compared with those in the highest quartile (quartile 1 vs quartile 4: hazard ratio, 2.44, 95 percent confidence interval, 1.07–5.55).

Subgroup analyses showed that the association was more predominant in participants with baseline hyperglycaemia. The joint effect of low baseline osteocalcin levels and hyperglycaemia corresponded to higher risks of future cardiovascular diseases.