Baseline characteristics of participants studied.

Data are presented as median (5 percentile, 95 percentile) or percent.Chi-square test for categorical variables, the unpaired t test or Mann-Whitney U test for continuous variables.BMI, body mass index; SBP, systolic blood pressure; DBP, diastolic blood pressure; TC, total cholesterol; HDL-C, high density lipoprotein cholesterol; LDL-C, low density lipoprotein cholesterol; TG, triglycerides; FPG, Fasting plasma glucose; hs-CRP, high-sensitivity C-reactive protein; MetS, metabolic syndrome.a Information on BMI was available for 3908 men and 4482 women.b Information on waist circumference was available for 3898 men and 4461 women.c Information on SBP and DBP was available for 3937 men and 4499 women.