Background

The relationship between advanced glycation end products and arterial stiffness has previously been examined in highly selected groups of patients with diabetes or hypertension. Our aim was to determine whether elevated serum advanced glycation end products are associated with increased arterial stiffness in relatively healthy, community-dwelling adults.

Methods

Aortic pulse wave velocity (PWV), an index of aortic stiffness, and serum advanced glycation end products (AGEs), as represented by the specific AGE, serum carboxymethyl–lysine (CML), were measured in 493 adults, aged 26–93 years, who participated in the Baltimore Longitudinal Study of Aging (BLSA).

Results

Mean (s.d.) PWV (m/s) was 6.6 (1.8) m/s. Mean CML was 0.47 (0.13) g/ml. Serum CML (per 1 s.d.) was associated with PWV ( = 0.16, s.e. = 0.07, P = 0.02), adjusting for age, sex, body mass index, mean arterial pressure, fasting plasma glucose, high-density lipoprotein cholesterol, smoking, and other covariates. After excluding all diabetic patients, serum CML (per 1 s.d.) was associated with PWV ( = 0.18, s.e. = 0.07, P = 0.009), adjusting for the same covariates.

Conclusions

Elevated AGEs are associated with increased arterial stiffness, a known predictor of adverse cardiovascular outcomes, among relatively healthy community-dwelling adults. Interventions to lower levels of AGEs, such as altering the pattern of dietary intake, warrant examination as putative novel strategies to lower arterial stiffness in adults.

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