Relation of C-reactive protein to body fat distribution and features of the metabolic syndrome in Europeans and South Asians

To investigate the association between circulating C-reactive protein (CRP) concentrations and indices of body fat distribution and the insulin resistance syndrome in South Asians and Europeans. : Cross-sectional study. A total of 113 healthy South Asian and European men and women in West London (age 40-55 y, body mass index (BMI) 17-34 kg/m(2)). Fatness and fat distribution parameters (by anthropometry, dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry and abdominal CT scan); oral glucose tolerance test with insulin response; modified fat tolerance test; and CRP concentration by sensitive ELISA. Median CRP level in South Asian women was nearly double that in European women (1.35 vs 0.70 mg/1, P=0.05). Measures of obesity and CRP concentration were significantly associated in both ethnic groups. The correlation to CRP was especially strong among South Asians (P