Obesity is the major determinant of elevated C-reactive protein in subjects with the metabolic syndrome

• Published in: International Journal of Obesity 2004-05, Vol.28 (5), p.674-679
• Main Authors: Aronson, D, Bartha, P, Zinder, O, Kerner, A, Markiewicz, W, Avizohar, O, Brook, G J, Levy, Y
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Biological and medical sciences; Body mass index; C-reactive protein; Cardiology; Cholesterol; Complications and side effects; Cross-sectional studies; Cytokines; Disease prevention; Epidemiology; Exercise; Glucose; Health aspects; Health Promotion and Disease Prevention; High density lipoprotein; Inflammation; Internal Medicine; Medical sciences; Medicine; Medicine & Public Health; Metabolic Diseases; Metabolic disorders; Metabolic syndrome; Metabolic syndrome X; Miscellaneous; Obesity; Other metabolic disorders; Overweight; Preventive medicine; Proteins; Public Health; Regression analysis; Risk factors; Triglycerides
• ISSN: 0307-0565; 1476-5497
• DOI: 10.1038/sj.ijo.0802609

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the relationship between C-reactive protein (CRP) and various characteristics of the metabolic syndrome. DESIGN: Population-based cross-sectional study. SUBJECTS: A total of 1929 subjects undergoing a medical examination in a preventive medicine clinic (age, 50±10 y; 63% males). RESULTS: The proportion of subjects with CRP levels above the cut point generally used to indicate an obvious source of infection or inflammation (>10 mg/l) was 3, 7, and 15% in subjects who were normal weight, overweight, and obese, respectively. Subjects with obesity had markedly higher CRP level compared to patients without obesity regardless of whether they had the metabolic syndrome. However, there was no significant difference in CRP levels between nonobese subjects without the metabolic syndrome and subjects in whom the diagnosis of the metabolic syndrome was based on criteria other than obesity (adjusted geometric mean CRP 1.75 vs 2.08 mg/l, P =0.79). Similarly, CRP levels did not differ among obese subjects with and without the metabolic syndrome (adjusted geometric mean CRP 3.22 vs 3.49 mg/l, P =0.99). There was a linear increase in CRP levels with an increase in the number of metabolic disorders ( P trend 10 mg/l) are more common among obese subjects than in nonobese subjects.