Trends in High-Density Lipoprotein Cholesterol (HDL-C) among Hispanic vs. Non-Hispanic Adults with Normal Glycohemoglobin in the U.S., 2009–2014

HDL-C, an independent cardiovascular risk factor, is often impacted by biological and environmental factors. Previous studies have observed lower HDL-C levels in Hispanics, with insulin resistance as a strong predictor; however, it is unclear how HDL-C changes over time. Using data from the U.S. National Health and Nutrition Survey (NHANES) 2009-2014, we evaluated trends in HDL-C levels among 2,190 Hispanic and 7,429 non-Hispanic adults with glycohemoglobin levels <5.7%, stratified by age and gender. Baseline characteristics using survey methods are reported in Table 1. In terms of trends in HDL-C levels among the 3 NHANES waves, older non-Hispanic women had significantly higher levels in 2013-2014 vs. 2009-2010 (β 5.23, p<0.01), adjusted for BMI and smoking status. Also, Hispanics had significantly lower HDL-C levels, specially men (age 20-59: β 2.16 p=0.009, ≥60: β 5.p=0.046), but only borderline in Hispanic women (β 2.03, p=0.07). Sex-specific low HDL-C prevalence was not significantly different by race, although suggested in Hispanic women ≥60 y/o (OR 2.04, p=0.07). These data indicate that Hispanics have overall lower absolute HDL-C levels, a trend that did not improve across NHANES waves. Although stronger in men, our findings highlight the importance of age and gender on HDL-C among Hispanics and the need for further research as reports vary across studies.