Table 1. Demographic, clinical, and laboratory data of the four subgroups of participants stratified by metabolic syndrome score.
| MetS 0 | MetS 1 | MetS 2 | MetS ≥3 | P-value | P-trend | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| n | 21 | 19 | 22 | 49 | – | – |
| Male, n (%) | 7 (33.33%) | 10 (52.63%) | 15 (68.18%) | 30 (61.22%) | 0.097 | ND |
| Age, years | 49 (46,54) | 50 (46,55) | 53.5 (46,58) | 52 (47,56) | 0.294 | ND |
| BMI, kg/m2 | 21.8 (20.2,23.5) | 24.2 (22.1,24.9) | 24.35 (22.5,25.8) | 25.9 (24.5,28.7) | 1.05 × 10−6 | 1.40 × 10−8 |
| SBP, mm Hg | 107.52 ± 8.9 | 122.74 ± 13.08 | 123.09 ± 13.18 | 134.61 ± 15.94 | 4.39 × 10−10 | 2.42 × 10−10 |
| DBP, mm Hg | 71.14 ± 6.36 | 78.26 ± 7.85 | 79.32 ± 8.66 | 87.04 ± 11.56 | 5.33 × 10−8 | 2.61 × 10−8 |
| Waist, cm | 74.6 ± 6.28 | 78.66 ± 6.02 | 83.89 ± 7.73 | 87.69 ± 8.55 | 4.73 × 10−9 | 3.17 × 10−10 |
| Smoking | 1 (4.76%) | 1 (5.26%) | 2 (9.09%) | 8 (16.33%) | 0.389 | ND |
| WBC, mm3 | 4.8 (4,5.1) | 4.5 (3.8,5.7) | 5.15 (4.5,6) | 5.7 (5.2,7) | 7.44 × 10−5 | 6.28 × 10−6 |
| AST, U/L | 24 (20,29) | 23 (22,27) | 25.5 (23,28) | 24 (21,36) | 0.291 | 0.095 |
| ALT, U/L | 20 (14,25) | 24 (17,29) | 24.5 (19,36) | 29 (22,46) | 1.24 × 10−3 | 5.94 × 10−5 |
| Uric acid, mg/dl | 5.1 ± 1.4 | 5.5 ± 1.4 | 6.25 ± 1.44 | 6.41 ± 1.28 | 1.19 × 10−3 | 8.09 × 10−5 |
| Creatinine, mg/dl | 0.7 (0.66,0.75) | 0.76 (0.61,0.92) | 0.84 (0.68,0.91) | 0.8 (0.61,0.92) | 0.371 | 0.168 |
| AC, mg/dl | 89 (85,92) | 93 (90,97) | 92 (87,99) | 102 (95,114) | 2.75 × 10−7 | 8.14 × 10−9 |
| Hemoglobin A1c, % | 5.2 (5,5.3) | 5.5 (5.1,5.6) | 5.45 (5.3,5.7) | 5.7 (5.3,6) | 1.94 × 10−5 | 8.37 × 10−7 |
| Cholesterol, mg/dL | 190.48 ± 31.01 | 212.74 ± 32.37 | 197.91 ± 46.43 | 210 ± 38.2 | 0.147 | 0.173 |
| Triglyceride, mg/dL | 65 (53,90) | 81 (64,124) | 104 (79,154) | 159 (118,213) | 9.43 × 10−10 | 9.87 × 10−12 |
| HDL-C, mg/dL | 57 (52,62) | 51 (44,65) | 45 (40,53) | 41 (37,50) | 7.33 × 10−7 | 3.10 × 10−8 |
| LDL-C, mg/dL | 114.99 ± 26.63 | 134.63 ± 27.91 | 124.95 ± 35.66 | 131.44 ± 38.6 | 0.231 | 0.174 |
| Endotoxin, EU/ml | 1.22 (0.9,1.6) | 2.11 (1.27,2.66) | 1.91 (1.09,2.98) | 4.4 (1.9,6.93) | 2.51 × 10−6 | 6.79 × 10−8 |
| hs-CRP, mg/dl | 0.03 (0.01,0.06) | 0.03 (0.01,0.08) | 0.07 (0.03,0.16) | 0.12 (0.06,0.33) | 8.51 × 10−7 | 1.50 × 10−8 |
| MDA, μm/ml | 6.69 (6.26,7.71) | 6.74 (6.17,8.08) | 7.07 (6.56,8.24) | 8.09 (7.33,10.71) | 1.55 × 10−3 | 6.84 × 10−5 |
| Right IMT, mm | 0.63 ± 0.08 | 0.64 ± 0.08 | 0.7 ± 0.12 | 0.74 ± 0.14 | 7.99 × 10−4 | 1.38 × 10−4 |
| Left IMT, mm | 0.62 ± 0.11 | 0.64 ± 0.08 | 0.72 ± 0.13 | 0.78 ± 0.14 | 2.65 × 10−6 | 3.80 × 10−7 |
| 1H-MRS, % | 3.9 (2.66,4.8) | 4.9 (3.87,8.04) | 6.31 (4.91,7.64) | 12.38 (7.8,17.6) | 2.19 × 10−10 | 4.69 × 10−13 |
| 1H-MRS subgroups | 1.14 × 10−10 | 1.01 × 10−11 | ||||
| 1H-MRS ≤5 | 17 (80.95%) | 10 (52.63%) | 7 (31.82%) | 5 (10.20%) | – | – |
| 1H-MRS > 5 but ≤9.67 | 4 (19.05%) | 7 (36.84%) | 12 (54.55%) | 11 (22.45%) | – | – |
| 1H-MRS > 9.67 | 0 (0%) | 2 (10.53%) | 3 (13.64%) | 33 (67.35%) | – | – |
Data are presented as mean ± SD, median (Q1, Q3), or n (%) for categorical data. Differences in mean/median values of variables between the four MetS-stratified subgroups were tested by one-way ANOVA or the Kruskal-Wallis test. P for trend was calculated by the Jonckheere-Terpstra Test to test for an ordered alternative hypothesis within four groups.
Abbreviations: MetS, metabolic syndrome score; Q1, 25th percentile; Q3, 75th percentile; ND, not done; BMI, body mass index; SBP, systolic blood pressure; DBP, Diastolic blood pressure; WBC, white blood cell; ALT, alanine aminotransferase; AST, aspartate aminotransferase; AC, fasting sugar; HDL-C, high density lipoprotein cholesterol; LDL-C, low density lipoprotein cholesterol; hs-CRP, high-sensitivity C-reactive protein; MDA, malondialdehyde; IMT, intima media thickness of the common carotid artery; 1H-MRS, proton magnetic resonance spectroscopy.