Relationship between several markers and presence of metabolic syndrome or components of the metabolic syndrome in Japanese workers.

Abstract

The reported associations between metabolic syndrome (MetS) and systemic vascular inflammation/insulin resistance prompted the author to determine the predictive ability of markers for MetS in the occupational field. The study was performed in 3460 working men aged 30 to 64 years. The author measured the serum levels of high-sensitivity C-reactive protein and insulin as potential key biomarkers of MetS. Multivariate analysis revealed significant associations between the presence of MetS and the log-transformed value of serum insulin and log-transformed value of serum C-reactive protein, with odds ratios of 29.4 (95% confidence interval, 18.0 to 48.2; P < 0.001) and 1.87 (95% confidence interval, 1.47 to 2.38; P < 0.001) of these two markers, respectively, for the presence of MetS. Elevated serum levels of insulin were found to be strongly associated with MetS in this cross-sectional study.