Abstract P183: Cholesterol Ester 18:2 is an Exercise Inducible Metabolite Associated With a Favorable Cardiometabolic Profile

Background: Prospective cohort studies have shown plasma cholesterol ester (CE) 18:2 is inversely associated with all-cause and cardiovascular mortality. However, less is known about the association of CE18:2 with cardiometabolic risk factors and whether it is responsive to regular exercise. Methods: A total of 193 known plasma lipids, including 11 CEs, were measured using the C8-positive LC-MS method in 671 participants from the HERITAGE Family Study (56% Female, 35% Black, 35 yrs) before and after a 20-week exercise intervention. Linear mixed models were used to test the associations of all lipids with 6 cardiometabolic traits at baseline and post-training adjusting for age, sex, and race, with post-training models also adjusted for baseline lipid and trait values. Paired t-tests were used to test the difference in CE18:2 abundance before and after exercise training. Results: Out of the 193 lipids, CE18:2 was consistently among the top 2 associations with each cardiometabolic trait at baseline ( Table 1 ). Levels of CE18:2 were inversely associated with triglycerides, visceral fat, glycA, and small LDL, while positively associated with HDL-C and insulin sensitivity. Importantly, CE18:2 abundance was increased following the exercise intervention (p=0.0003). Exercise-induced change in CE18:2 was significantly (FDR<0.05) associated with concomitant changes in all traits except visceral fat in the same directions as baseline, with CE18:2 among the top 3 associations with each training response trait ( Table 1 ). Conclusions: Plasma CE18:2 levels were associated with cardiometabolic traits in a favorable direction both before and after an exercise intervention. Thus, this plasma lipid may be an exercise inducible metabolite that is indicative of improvements in cardiometabolic health. However, additional studies are needed to confirm the observed findings and determine the mechanisms underlying these beneficial associations.