This study aimed to determine whether sex differences in body fat distribution accounted for the sex differences in inflammatory markers in 208 healthy men and 145 healthy premenopausal women. Premenopausal women had higher C-reactive protein (CRP) and lower tumor necrosis factor-a concentrations than men while interleukin-6 did not differ between the 2 groups. After matching men and women for similar amounts of intra-abdominal (visceral) adipose tissue, premenopausal women still had higher CRP concentrations and lower tumor necrosis factor-a levels than did men. Finally, further analyses suggested that though CRP concentrations were largely influenced by intra-abdominal fat in men, subcutaneous adipose tissue was the key correlate of CRP in premenopausal women.
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