Clinical parameters and fasting blood biomarkers
CREST
A standard wall-mounted stadiometer was used to measure height to the nearest millimeter. Without shoes, body weight was measured to the nearest 0.1 kg. WC was measured to the nearest millimeter halfway between the last rib and the iliac crest using standard procedures and an anthropometric measuring tape. After resting, two blood pressure (BP) measurements and a pulse rate were recorded using an automatic BP monitor (Accutorr-4, Datascope, New Jersey, USA). The blood pressure was computed as the mean of the 2 measurements. FMC and all other laboratory markers were measured in blood samples drawn between 07:00-07:30 AM after a 12-hour fast. Additionally, participants were instructed to avoid physical activity in the 12 hours preceding their blood tests. We also verified that on the day of each examination, all patients were not currently suffering from acute illnesses and were not receiving acute or subacute medical treatments. All FMC measurements were analyzed by LC-MS/MS in serum, as previously described (