J Korean Med Sci.  2006 Oct;21(5):811-815. 10.3346/jkms.2006.21.5.811.

Body Mass Index and C-Reactive Protein in the Healthy Korean Aged Men

Affiliations
  • 1Department of Family Medicine, College of Medicine, Kyung-Hee University, Seoul, Korea. chunwon62@dreamwiz.com
  • 2Department of Family Medicine, University of Ulsan College of Medicine, Seoul, Korea.
  • 3Department of Medicine, Division of Gerontology and Geriatric Medicine, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, USA.

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to determine the relationship between plasma C-reactive protein (CRP) and body mass index (BMI) in elderly Korean men. A review of routine health examination records were done. Out of 671 eligible elderly men, who had their routine health examination in 2001 at a Health Promotion Center of a university hospital, 367 subjects were included after excluding inflammatory conditions. Subgroup analyses were performed on those who did not smoke and exercised regularly. Body composition, blood pressure, blood samples and radiologic examinations including chest radiography and abdominal ultrasound were obtained from each subject. Age, BMI, current smoking, regular exercise, WBC count, HDL-cholesterol, gamma glutamyl transferase were independently associated with logCRP. BMI subgroups according to the Asia-Pacific guideline did not show any difference in CRP level from each other by ANCOVA (p>0.05). However, BMI groups subdivided according to our criteria showed an association with CRP; the CRP level was lowest in the group of BMI between 18.5-19.4 and showed significant difference from BMI group of the highest BMI group (> or =29.0). Since elevated CRP levels are associated with higher risk for cardiovascular disease, lower BMI (18.5-19.4) levels may be advised for healthy elderly men in Korea.

Keyword

Body Mass Index; C-reactive Protein; Aged; Korea; Men

MeSH Terms

Male
Linear Models
Interleukin-6/blood
Humans
Cross-Sectional Studies
Cholesterol, HDL/blood
C-Reactive Protein/*analysis
*Body Mass Index
Alanine Transaminase/blood
Aged

Figure

  • Fig. 1 Box plot of CRP concentrations for nonsmoking elderly men who exercise regularly, according to new BMI classification. *p values were calculated by ANCOVA for log CRP after adjusting the covariates of age, hemoglobin, WBC count, uric acid, triglyceride, HDL-cholesterol, AST, GGT, alcohol drinking, history of stroke, myocardial infarction, diabetes, hypertension.


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