The relationship between metabolic syndrome, cardiometabolic risk factors and inflammatory markers in a Tehranian population: the Tehran Lipid and Glucose Study

OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study was to investigate the relationship between the high sensitivity C-reactive protein (hsCRP), interleukin-6 (IL-6) and homocysteine (Hcy) levels and cardiometabolic risk factors in subjects with and without metabolic syndrome (MetS) in a sample of the Tehranian population. METHODS: In this cross-sectional study, 365 individuals aged ≥ 19 years were randomly selected from among participants of the Tehran Lipid and Glucose Study (TLGS). The serum levels of IL-6, hsCRP and Hcy were determined using the Enzyme Linked Immunosorbent Assay (ELISA) method. RESULTS: Of the 365 subjects, aged a mean of 46.1 ± 16.1 years, MetS was present in 160 (43.8%) individuals. The levels of hsCRP, Hcy and IL-6 were higher in the subjects with MetS. A gradual and significant increase in the levels of hsCRP was found in association with increasing numbers of MetS components after adjusting for sex and age. A strong linear augmentation in the hsCRP levels was observed as the numbers of MetS components increased. Additionally, an increase of 0.40 was observed in the hsCRP levels in association with increases in each component of MetS adjusted for age and sex. The best predictors for the levels of hsCRP, IL-6 and Hcy in the subjects with MetS were hip, waist to height ratio (WHtR) and height, respectively. CONCLUSION: Hip and WHtR are significant predictors of elevated levels of hsCRP and IL-6 associated with MetS, respectively.