Association of obesity and biomarkers of inflammation and endothelial dysfunction in adults in Inner Mongolia, China

Abstract

Background: Recent studies suggest that central obesity is an important predictor of cardiovascular disease (CVD) in addition to overall obesity. Both inflammation and endothelial dysfunction are associated with increased risk of CVD. We examined the association between body mass index (BMI) and waist circumference (WC) with plasma concentrations of biomarkers of inflammation and endothelial dysfunction.

Methods: We conducted a cross-sectional study of 2589 lean, moderately active participants aged 20 years and older in Inner Mongolia, China. Overnight fasting blood samples were obtained to measure the biomarkers including C-reactive protein (CRP), soluble inter-cellular adhesion molecule-1 (sICAM-1), soluble E-selectin (sE-selectin), and angiotensin II. Height, body weight, and WC were measured by trained staff and BMI was calculated (kg/m(2)).

Results: In univariate analysis, CRP, sICAM-1, and sE-selectin were all significantly higher among individuals with a higher BMI and WC. In multivariate analysis, each standard deviation (SD) increase in WC (9.6 cm) was associated with about 46% higher risk (odds ratio [OR] 1.46, 95% confidence interval [CI] 1.21-1.76) of elevated CRP but a 1 SD increase in BMI (3.5 kg/m(2)) was not associated with the risk of elevated CRP (OR 0.96, 95% CI 0.80-1.16). However, each SD increase in BMI was associated with about 30% higher risk of having elevated E-selectin (OR 1.30, 95% CI 1.08-1.55).

Conclusions: WC is a stronger predictor of inflammation while BMI is a stronger predictor for endothelial dysfunction. These results suggest measuring both BMI and WC will help to assess the risk of CVD in the Chinese population.