This aspect was examined in a biracial (Black-White) community based sample of 1083 younger adults (mean age: 36.1 years, 71%white, 45%male) enrolled in the Bogalusa Heart Study. Plasma CRP along with metabolic syndrome variables was measured.
CRP levels showed a significant race (black>white) and gender (female>male) differences; and relates to measures of obesity (BMI and waist circumference), blood pressure (systolic, diastolic, and mean arterial blood pressure), lipoproteins (LDL cholesterol, HDL cholesterol, triglycerides, total cholesterol/HDL cholesterol ratio), glucose homeostasis (insulin, glucose, homeostasis model assessment of insulin resistance index [HOMA-IR]), and uric acid, after adjusting for age, race, gender and cigarette smoking. Further, CRP levels increased with increasing number of metabolic syndrome risk factors, as defined by National Cholesterol Education Program ATP III, regardless of race and gender (p for trend, <0.0001). In a multivariate analysis, waist, female gender, total cholesterol/HDL cholesterol ratio, mean arterial blood pressure and HOMA-IR entered into the model in that order and explained 23.0%of the variance. Of note, waist accounted for 13.4%variance in the CRP levels, whereas HOMA-IR only 0.35%.
CRP levels differ among race and gender groups, and correlates to metabolic syndrome variables. In addition, these findings strongly suggest that although obesity and insulin resistance are the underlying features of the metabolic syndrome, the former appears to be the mediator of CRP levels.