C-reactive Protein, Fitness, And Cardiovascular Risk In College Students

Abstract

Coronary artery disease (CAD) is the leading cause of death in the United States. C-reactive protein (CRP), a marker of systemic inflammation is recognized as an additional predictor of risk for future cardiovascular events. PURPOSE Research involving CAD risk in young adults is limited; therefore we investigated the relationship between cardiovascular risk factors and physical fitness in males and females. METHODS Thirty age- and physical activity-matched college men (n=16) and women (n=14) volunteered for participation in this study. Mean (± SD) age, body mass and height were 21.4 ± 2.6 yr, 76.4 ± 18.0 kg, and 172.3 ± 11.1 cm, respectively. Measurements included systolic blood pressure (SBP), diastolic (DBP), waist-hip ratio, body fat % (%BF), VO2max, 12-hour fasting plasma high-sensitivity cardio-CRP, total cholesterol (TC), and high-density lipoprotein-cholesterol (HDL-C). Weekly physical activity and nutrient intake records were obtained. Subjects reported weight stability over the previous 6 mo. Gender differences were determined using a t-test and Pearson product moment correlations were calculated. RESULTS Significant differences were found for HDL (50.5 ± 10.5 mg/dL vs. 61.3 ± 10.7 mg/dL, p < 0.05), TC/HDL ratio (3.5 ± 1.0 vs. 2.6 ± 0.8, p < 0.05), VO2max (39.1 ± 8.2 ml O2 ± kg ± min−1 vs. 33.4 ± 4.0 ml O2 ± kg ± min−1, and SBP (121.3 ± 9.4 mmHg vs. 110.7 ± 10.5 mmHg, p < 0.05) between men and women, respectively. However, TC was not significantly different between men and women (170.9 ± 39.3 mg/dL and 152.7 ± 29.0 mg/dL). The CRP concentration (0.55 ± 0.51 mg/L and 0.77 ± 1.16 mg/L) and %BF (14.5 ± 6.5% and 24.3 ± 4.5%) were not significantly different between men and women (p>0.05). No other gender differences were found for the other variables of interest. Log CRP was positively correlated with %BF (r = .575, p<0.01) and BMI (r = .468, p<0.05). 28 subjects were classified as low risk and two as moderate risk for CAD. Seven subjects (6 women and 1 man) failed to meet the minimum requirement for weekly physical activity. In addition, 33% of the subjects (8 men and 1 women) had a TC/HDL ratio >3.5 and 78% (14 males, 7 females had HDL <60 mg/dL. Daily fat intake was 35.1 ± 9.3% of total kcal. CONCLUSIONS Our data suggests a gender difference may exist in traditional CAD risk factors and may have implications for risk stratification. Further research is needed on the identification of “early warning indicators” of CAD risk in young adults, including longitudinal studies to monitor future cardiovascular events. Supported by the Professional Enhancement Grants Program at Coastal Carolina University