Objective: To investigate whether C-reactive protein (CRP) concentrations are influenced by body composition, insulin resistance, and body fat distribution in healthy women.
Design: Cross-sectional study of CRP plasma levels in adult women.
Subjects: A total of 201 apparently healthy normal weight, overweight, and obese women, aged 18-60 y.
Measurements: CRP plasma levels, several fatness and body fat distribution parameters (by bioimpedance analysis and anthropometry), and insulin resistance (HOMA(IR)), as calculated by homeostatic model assessment.
Results: CRP was positively correlated with age, body mass index (BMI), waist, fasting glucose and insulin, HOMA(IR), fat-free mass (FFM) and fat mass (FM). After multivariate analyses, age, HOMA(IR), waist and FM maintained their independent association with CRP.
Conclusion: Our study has shown an independent relationship of central fat accumulation and insulin resistance with CRP plasma levels, thus suggesting that mild, chronic inflammation may be a further component of the metabolic syndrome and a mediator of the atherogenic profile of this syndrome.