Rapid Decrease in HDL-C in the Puberty Period of Boys Associated with an Elevation of Blood Pressure and Dyslipidemia in Korean Teenagers: An Explanation of Why and When Men Have Lower HDL-C Levels Than Women

Abstract

Low serum high-density lipoproteins-cholesterol (HDL-C) levels and high blood pressure are linked to each other and are recognized as independent risk factors of cardiovascular disease and dementia. HDL can cross the blood–brain barrier to remove amyloid plaque and the blood–testis barrier to supply cholesterol for spermatogenesis, but LDL cannot. During the teenage period, between 10 and 19 years of age, the systolic blood pressure (BP) increased gradually to 7.9% in boys (p p = 0.141). The boys’ group showed a remarkable decrease in the total cholesterol (TC) and HDL-C from 10 to 15 years of age (p p p p = −0.133, p = −0.065, p = 0.009) from 10 to 19 years of age. Interestingly, only the boys’ group showed an inverse association with the diastolic BP (r = −0.122, p = −0.016, p = 0.516). In conclusion, the boys’ group showed a sharp decrease in the HDL-C level from 10 to 15 years of age, whereas the girls’ group showed an increase in the HDL-C level during the same period. These results explain why men have a lower serum HDL-C level than women in adulthood.

Keywords

• high-density lipoproteins-cholesterol
• puberty
• boys
• life-expectancy
• blood pressure
• dyslipidemia