RESEARCH ARTICLE Improving Assessment of Lipoprotein Profile in Type 1 Diabetes by 1H NMR Spectroscopy

Patients with type 1 diabetes (T1D) present increased risk of cardiovascular disease (CVD). The aim of this study is to improve the assessment of lipoprotein profile in patients with T1D by using a robust developed method 1H nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy (1H NMR), for further correlation with clinical factors associated to CVD. Thirty patients with T1D and 30 non-diabetes control (CT) subjects, matched for gender, age, body composition (DXA, BMI, waist/hip ratio), regular physical activity levels and cardiorespiratory capacity (VO2peak), were analyzed. Dietary records and routine lipids were assessed. Serum lipopro-tein particle subfractions, particle sizes, and cholesterol and triglycerides subfractions were analyzed by 1H NMR. It was evidenced that subjects with T1D presented lower concentra-tions of small LDL cholesterol, medium VLDL particles, large VLDL triglycerides, and total triglycerides as compared to CT subjects. Women with T1D presented a positive associa-tion with HDL size (p<0.005; R = 0.601) and large HDL triglycerides (p<0.005; R = 0.534) and negative (p<0.005; R =-0.586) to small HDL triglycerides. Body fat composition repre-sented an important factor independently of normal BMI, with large LDL particles presentin