Elevated C-Reactive Protein Levels in Overweight and Obese Adults

CONTEXT Human adipose tissue expresses and releases the proinflammatory cytokine interleukin 6, potentially inducing low-grade systemic inflammation in persons with excess body fat. OBJECTIVE To test whether overweight and obesity are associated with low-grade systemic inflammation as measured by serum C-reactive protein (CRP) level. DESIGN AND SETTING The Third National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey, representative of the US population from 1988 to 1994. PARTICIPANTS A total of 16,616 men and nonpregnant women aged 17 years or older. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES Elevated CRP level of 0.22 mg/dL or more and a more stringent clinically raised CRP level of more than 1.00 mg/dL. RESULTS Elevated CRP levels and clinically raised CRP levels were present in 27.6% and 6.7% of the population, respectively. Both overweight (body mass index [BMI], 25-29.9 kg/m2) and obese (BMI, ≥30 kg/m2) persons were more likely to have elevated CRP levels than their normal-weight counterparts (BMI,