Protein-1

Background and Aims: The metabolic syndrome (MetS) is associated with an increased risk for left ventricular hypertrophy (LVH) and cardiovascular mortality. The aim of this study was to investigate potential influences from insulin-like growth factor-1 (IGF-1) and IGF binding protein-1 (IGFBP-1) on the relationship between the MetS and LVH, also taking into account the role of physical activity (PA), use of oestrogen and gender. Methods and Results: In a population-based cross-sectional study of 60-year-old men (n51822) and women (n52049) participants underwent physical examination and laboratory tests, including electrocardiography (ECG), and completed an extensive questionnaire. Women showed higher levels of IGFBP-1 than men (37.0 vs. 28.0 mg/l, p,0.001), and women with LVH had lower levels of IGFBP-1 than women without LVH (31.0 mg/l vs. 37.0 mg/l, p,0.001). Furthermore, women with low levels of IGFBP-1 had a significantly increased risk of having LVH (crude OR<2.5). When stratifying for PA and oestrogen, respectively, a weake