Number of Components of the Metabolic Syndrome; Smoking and Inflammatory Markers

BACKGROUND: The association between inflammatory markers and the combination of the smoking status plus a number of components of the metabolic syndrome was not fully evaluated in male Japanese subjects. OBJECTIVES: To demonstrate the association between inflammatory markers and the number of components of the metabolic syndrome by considering smoking status. PATIENTS AND METHODS: A total of 3,017 male subjects (1,047 current smokers, 1,970 non-smokers) were included. Metabolic syndrome (MetS) was defined by the criteria of the National Cholesterol Education Program Adult Treatment Panel III. The smoking status was categorized in a binary manner into current smokers or non-smokers. RESULTS: The geometric mean value of the serum CRP increased linearly as the number of components of MetS increased (P < 0.05). In contrast, the mean values of the total WBC, neutrophil, lymphocyte and monocyte counts showed peak values when the number of MetS components was 3 or 4. The log-transformed serum CRP levels and the WBC counts were significantly correlated with one another (P < 0.001), but Pearson’s correlation coefficient was under 0.3 for current smokers. CONCLUSIONS: Among several inflammatory markers, the serum CRP predominantly changed linearly as the number of MetS increased regardless of smoking status.