ASSOCIATIONS BETWEEN C-REACTIVE PROTEIN, PHYSICAL ACTIVITY, AND OTHER CARDIAC RISK FACTORS IN POSTMENOPAUSAL WOMEN

Coronary heart disease (CHD) is the single largest killer of American females. Prevalent risk factors that give rise to increasing coronary risk for women include markers of inflammation, such as C-reactive protein (CRP), lipid abnormalities, such as lipoprotein(a), and insulin resistance. Also, rates of CHD are relatively low among premenopausal women but increase sharply with age and the onset of menopause. The primary purpose of this study was to examine the associations between CRP and physical activity on the risk factor profile of postmenopausal women without known heart disease who were either taking or not taking hormone therapy. The secondary purpose of this investigation was to examine the relation of other cardiovascular risk factors on subclinical measures of coronary heart disease CHD. A cohort of 201 postmenopausal, 52-62 year old women who are enrolled in the Women On the Move through Activity and Nutrition (WOMAN) Study was examined at the baseline evaluation. Spearman correlations revealed a significant inverse relationship between CRP and mean pedometer steps (rho= -0.2441, p=0.0348). Significant positive correlations were identified between CRP and body mass index (rho= 0.3081, p<0.0001), waist circumference (rho= 0.25711, p<0.0002), and triglycerides (rho= 0.1925, p=0.0063). Women taking hormone replacement therapy had significantly higher levels of CRP (p=0.0216) than those women not on hormone therapy. There was no significant relationship found between CRP and intima medial thickness, nor with coronary artery calcium score. The women identified with metabolic syndrome by ATPIII guidelines had significantly lower HDL-cholesterol levels (p<0.0001) and higher total cholesterol (p=0.0072), triglycerides (p<0.0001), glucose (p<0.0001), and insulin (p=0.0183) levels. These women also had significantly higher body mass index (p=0.0210), systolic blood pressure (p