Experimental animal studies have demonstrated that moderate overexpression of APOM can slow the development of atherosclerosis in mouse models prone to atherosclerosis.16,30 Consistent with the proposed cardioprotective potential of the APOM/S1P complex,31 our analysis revealed an inverse correlation between plasma APOM levels and both left ventricular mass index and the cardiac biomarker NT-proBNP. This evidence concerns the gene MBTPS1 and atherosclerosis.