High resolution lipoprotein subfraction profiling identifies obesity associated distributional changes in LDL and HDL subfractions and particle ratios

Novia Minaee; Reika Masuda; Philipp Nitschke; Drew Hall; Jennie Hui; Michael L Hunter; Leon Flicker; Graeme J Hankey; Osvaldo P Almeida; Dick C Chan; Gerald F Watts; Muhammad Saeed Ahmad; Huda M Alkreathy; Zoheir Abdullah Dhamanouri; Hartmut Schäfer; Manfred Spraul; Claire Cannet; John P Beilby; Bu B Yeap; Oscar Millet; Julien Wist; Jeremy K Nicholson; Samantha Lodge; Elaine Holmes

doi:10.1038/s41366-026-02172-6

$High resolution lipoprotein subfraction profiling identifies obesity associated distributional changes in LDL and HDL subfractions and particle ratios$

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High resolution lipoprotein subfraction profiling identifies obesity associated distributional changes in LDL and HDL subfractions and particle ratios

Novia Minaee, Reika Masuda, Philipp Nitschke, Drew Hall, Jennie Hui, Michael L Hunter, Leon Flicker, Graeme J Hankey, Osvaldo P Almeida, Dick C Chan, …

International journal of obesity (2005)

2026

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/s41366-026-02172-6

PMID: 42595771

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Abstract

Background Obesity is associated with adverse alterations in lipoprotein profiles and increased cardiometabolic risk, yet standard clinical lipid measures provide limited resolution of the underlying lipoprotein structure. Here, we perform a population-level characterisation of the impact of obesity on the high-resolution blood lipoprotein subfraction profile. Methods Lipoprotein profiles were investigated in an Australian cohort (n = 1806) stratified by Body Mass Index (BMI) (healthy weight, overweight, obese). The composition and particle number of lipoproteins and their subfractions were quantified (n = 112 parameters) using 1H NMR spectroscopy. Associations between BMI, lipoprotein subfractions, and particle number ratios were evaluated. Key BMI-associated ratios were validated in a second Australian cohort (n = 1313) Results Participants with obesity had significantly higher particle concentrations of VLDL and IDL and lower HDLs, while total LDL concentration was similar between the BMI categories. Notably, obesity was associated with a marked redistribution of LDL subfractions, with a shift from larger, buoyant LDL1–3 particles to smaller, dense LDL4–6 particles, accompanied by a similar shift in HDL subfractions, with proportionally lower concentrations of HDL1–3 particles in the high BMI group. An inverse association between BMI was found for two LDL particle number ratios (LDL1–3:LDL4–6 and LDL2:LDL5) and one HDL ratio (HDL1:HDL4), which demonstrated good discriminatory power for obesity status (AUROCs 0.70–0.74). Conclusions The pattern of lipoprotein subfraction redistribution in participants with obesity was consistent across cohorts. These subfractional changes offer enhanced resolution compared with conventional lipid and lipoprotein measures and may contribute to improved cardiovascular risk stratification in individuals with obesity.

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Title: High resolution lipoprotein subfraction profiling identifies obesity associated distributional changes in LDL and HDL subfractions and particle ratios
Authors/Creators: Novia Minaee - Murdoch University
Reika Masuda - Murdoch University
Philipp Nitschke - Murdoch University
Drew Hall - Murdoch University
Jennie Hui - Pathwest Laboratory Medicine
Michael L Hunter - The University of Western Australia
Leon Flicker - The University of Western Australia
Graeme J Hankey - The University of Western Australia
Osvaldo P Almeida - The University of Western Australia
Dick C Chan - The University of Western Australia
Gerald F Watts - Royal Perth Hospital
Muhammad Saeed Ahmad - King Abdulaziz University
Huda M Alkreathy - King Abdulaziz University
Zoheir Abdullah Dhamanouri - King Abdulaziz University
Hartmut Schäfer - Bruker (United States)
Manfred Spraul - Bruker (United States)
Claire Cannet - Bruker (United States)
John P Beilby - The University of Western Australia
Bu B Yeap - Fiona Stanley Hospital
Oscar Millet - CIC bioGUNE
Julien Wist - Murdoch University
Jeremy K Nicholson - Hong Kong University of Science and Technology
Samantha Lodge - Murdoch University
Elaine Holmes - Murdoch University, Centre for Computational and Systems Medicine
Publication Details: International journal of obesity (2005)
Publisher: Nature Publishing Group
Identifiers: 991005912981207891
Murdoch Affiliation: Centre for Computational and Systems Medicine
Language: English
Resource Type: Journal article

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