(P18-007-25) Association of Adiposity Indices and Visceral Fat With Inflammatory Biomarker C-reactive Protein

Objectives: To compare gender-specific associations between adiposity indices, % fat mass, and visceral fat mass with high-sensitivity C-reactive protein (hsCRP) in middle-aged adults.

Methods: This secondary analysis from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) 2013-2016 included 3,056 adults 40-59 y. The NHANES utilized a complex multistage probability sampling design. Body weight and height were measured using a digital scale and stadiometer, respectively. Waist circumference (WC) was measured from the top of the right ilium. Body composition was measured using dual energy X-ray absorptiometry. hsCRP was measured using near-infrared particle immunoassay. Covariate-adjusted logistic regression modeled the odds of elevated hsCRP given the different adiposity indices (e.g., body mass index (BMI), WC, total % body fat (TPBF), or visceral fat mass (VFM)) as predictors. Covariates included race/ethnicity, age, cigarette use, and physical activity. Area under the curve (AUC) was used to evaluate the predictive performance of the different adiposity indices for the outcome variable, hsCRP.

Results: In this representative sample of US adults, the proportion (SE) of males and females with hsCRP ≥ 2.2 mg/L was 42.7 (2.1)% and 54.5 (2.5)%, respectively (p < 0.001). For males, the AUC (95% CI) values for predicting hsCRP ≥ 2.2 mg/dL were: BMI = 0.74 (0.71, 0.77), WC = 0.75 (0.72, 0.78), TPBF = 0.74 (0.70, 0.77), and VFM = 0.73 (0.70, 0.76); while for females, the AUC (95% CI) values were: BMI = 0.80 (0.78, 0.83), WC = 0.80 (0.78, 0.82), TPBF = 0.78 (0.76, 0.81), and VFM = 0.80 (0.77, 0.81). The proportion (SE) of males and females with hsCRP ≥10 mg/L were 4.6 (0.6)% and 11.7 (1.2)%, respectively (p < 0.001). For males, the AUC (95% CI) values for predicting hsCRP ≥10 mg/L were: BMI = 0.65 (0.58, 0.72), WC = 0.66 (0.59, 0.73), TPBF = 0.65 (0.56, 0.73), and VFM = 0.66 (0.59, 0.72); while for females, the AUC (95% CI) values were: BMI = 0.77 (0.73, 0.80), WC = 0.78 (0.75, 0.81), TPBF = 0.74 (0.70, 0.78), and VFM = 0.75 (0.72, 0.79).

Conclusions: These results demonstrate acceptable predictive power of any adiposity index with hsCRP, with a better predictive power in females than in males. We found no advantage of using body composition measures over the traditional adiposity indices in predicting elevated hsCRP.

Funding Sources: None