A hypertriglyceridemic state increases high sensitivity C-reactive protein of Japanese men with normal glucose tolerance

Both fasting and postprandial hypertriglyceridemia have been identified as risk markers for cardiovascular disease. High-sensitivity C-reactive protein (hs-CRP), known to independently predict future cardiovascular disease, has also been reported to be a direct participant in the progression of atherosclerosis. We evaluated whether or not fasting and/or postprandial hypertriglyceridemia influence hs-CRP of men with normal glucose tolerance. According to the triglyceride (TG) level, measured before and 1 and 2 h after a meal tolerance test, subjects were classified into a normotriglyceridemic (NTG) group (n = 86), a postprandial hypertriglyceridemia (PHTG) group (n = 50), or a fasting hypertriglyceridemia (FHTG) group (n = 53). Hs-CRP and HOMA-R were significantly higher in the FHTG group than in the other groups (P<0.01). The PHTG group had higher hs-CRP than the NTG group (P<0.05). No significant differences in age, BMI, LDL cholesterol, or carotid intima-media thickness were found in comparison of the three groups. Multivariate linear regression analysis showed that the area under the TG curve (AUC-TG), HbA1c, and BMI were independently correlated with hs-CRP (P<0.001, P = 0.016, P = 0.032, respectively). Our data suggests that a hypertriglyceridemic state is associated with hs-CRP irrespective of BMI, LDL-C, and HDL-C, indicating that hs-CRP might represent chronic inflammation induced by hypertriglyceridemia in Japanese men with normal glucose tolerance.