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Long-term body weight variability is associated with elevated C-reactive protein independent of current body mass index among Japanese men

International Journal of Obesity volume 27, pages 1059–1065 (2003)Cite this article

Abstract

OBJECTIVE: To elucidate the effect of long-term weight variability on C-reactive protein (CRP) levels.

DESIGN: Cross-sectional study of the circulating CRP.

SUBJECTS: A total of 637 Japanese men aged 40–49 y in1997.

MEASUREMENTS: Serum CRP levels, body mass index in 1997 (current BMI), the slope of weight on age (weight-slope) representing an individual's weight trend of direction and magnitude, and the root mean square error around the slope of weight on age (weight-RMSE) representing the weight fluctuation magnitude, as calculated by a simple linear regression model in which each value of the subject's five actual weights (aged 20, 25, 30 y, five years ago, and current) was a dependent variable and the subject's ages independent variables.

RESULTS: After adjustment for age and confounders, including smoking and health status, the odds ratios of elevated CRP (≥0.06 mg/dl) were 1.83 (95% CI: 1.25–2.69), 2.63 (1.69–4.11), and 10.31 (2.17–48.98) for upper normal-weight (BMI: 22–<25 kg/m2), overweight (25–<30), and obese (≥30) persons, respectively, compared with lower normal-weight persons (18.5–<22). Adjusting for age, confounders, and current BMI, weight-slope was positively associated with CRP level especially among subjects with BMI≥25 kg/m2 (trend P<0.01), and weight-RMSE was positively associated with CRP level particularly among subjects with BMI <25 kg/m2 (trend P<0.05).

CONCLUSION: Our results suggest a state of low-grade systemic inflammation not only in overweight and obese persons, but also in normal-weight persons with large weight fluctuation, possibly explaining in part the positive association between weight fluctuation and CVD.

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Acknowledgements

The authors are grateful to Dr Noboru Okamoto (Aichi San-no-maru Hospital), Dr Takashi Kawamura (Kyoto University Center for Student Health), and Dr Junji Toyama (Aichi Prefectural Owari Hospital) for their cooperation in conducting the survey and collecting information for this study.

This work is supported in part by a grant to Hideaki Toyoshima (09470112, 13470087), Koji Tamakoshi (12670352), and Hiroshi Yatsuya (13770192) from the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Public Health/ Health Information Dynamics, Field of Social Life Science, Program in Health and Community Medicine, Nagoya University Graduate School of Medicine, Nagoya, Japan

    K Tamakoshi, H Yatsuya, T Kondo, M Ishikawa, H Zhang, C Murata, R Otsuka, T Mabuchi, Y Hori & H Toyoshima

  2. Obesity Research Center, St Lukes'/Roosevelt Hospital Center, Columbia University College of Physicians and Surgeons, NY, USA

    S Zhu

  3. Department of Public Health, Fujita Health University School of Medicine, Toyoake, Aichi, Japan

    T Yoshida

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Correspondence to K Tamakoshi.

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Tamakoshi, K., Yatsuya, H., Kondo, T. et al. Long-term body weight variability is associated with elevated C-reactive protein independent of current body mass index among Japanese men. Int J Obes 27, 1059–1065 (2003). https://doi.org/10.1038/sj.ijo.0802386

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