doi:10.1038/s41598-022-23075-2engPerez-Lasierra, Jose LuisCasajús, José A.Gonzalez-Agüero, AlejandroArbones-Mainar, José MiguelCasasnovas, José A.Laclaustra, MartinMoreno-Franco, BelénCardiorespiratory fitness decreases the odds for subclinical carotid plaques in apolipoprotein e4 homozygotesART-2022-130577Some studies suggest that being an apolipoprotein e4 (APOE e4) carrier increases the risk of atherosclerosis, and others suggest that cardiorespiratory fitness (CRF) could play a key role in atherosclerotic prevention. Our aim was to analyze the association of APOE e4 with carotid atherosclerosis and the association of CRF with atherosclerosis in APOE e4 carriers. A cross-sectional analysis based on a subsample of 90 participants in the Aragon Workers’ Health Study was carried out. Ultrasonography was used to assess the presence of plaques in carotid territory; the submaximal Chester Step Test was used to assess CRF; and behavioral, demographic, anthropometric, and clinical data were obtained by trained personnel during annual medical examinations. APOE e4e4 participants were categorized into Low-CRF (VO2max <= 35 mL/kg/min) and High-CRF (VO2max ≥ 35 mL/kg/min) groups. After adjusting for several confounders, compared with APOE e3e3, those participants genotyped as APOE e3e4 and APOE e4e4 showed an OR = 1.60 (95% CI 0.45, 5.71) and OR = 4.29 (95% CI 1.16, 15.91), respectively, for carotid atherosclerosis. Compared to Low-CRF APOE e4e4 carriers, the odds of carotid plaque detection were 0.09 (95% CI 0.008, 0.98) times lower among High-CRF APOE e4e4 carriers. The APOE e4e4 genotype was associated with increased carotid atherosclerosis. However, CRF is a modifiable factor that may be targeted by APOE e4e4 to decrease the elevation of atherosclerotic risk due to this genetic condition.2022http://zaguan.unizar.es/record/14801010.1038/s41598-022-23075-2http://zaguan.unizar.es/record/148010oai:zaguan.unizar.es:148010info:eu-repo/grantAgreement/ES/DGA/B12-20Rinfo:eu-repo/grantAgreement/ES/ISCIII/FIS/PI19-00948info:eu-repo/grantAgreement/ES/MECD/FPU16-02539Scientific reports (Nature Publishing Group) 12, 1 (2022), 19496 [7 pp.]byhttp://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/es/info:eu-repo/semantics/openAccess