Background: The objective of this study was to investigate the relationship between serum carcinoembryonic antigen (CEA)
levels and metabolic syndrome in Korean women aged ≥50 years old.
Methods: This cross-sectional study included a total of 3,479 individuals who underwent health check-ups between November
2006 and July 2010 at the Health Promotion Center of Gangnam Severance Hospital in Seoul. Serum CEA levels were categorized
into quartiles: Q1 (≤1.0 g/L), Q2 (1.1∼1.4 g/L), Q3 (1.5∼2.1 g/L), and Q4 (≥2.2 g/L). The odds ratio (OR) and 95%
confidence interval (CI) for metabolic syndrome were calculated using multiple logistic regression analysis after adjusting for
confounding factors across CEA quartiles.
Results: The mean CEA levels were increased in people with obesity, high blood pressure, and high plasma glucose. Compared
with the lowest CEA quartile, the OR (95% CI) for metabolic syndrome in the highest CEA quartile was 1.34 (1.03 to 1.73)
after adjusting for age, cigarette smoking, alcohol intake, regular exercise, and leukocyte count.
Conclusion: CEA was significantly related with metabolic syndrome in middle aged and elderly Korean females, and elevated
CEA levels may be a surrogate marker for metabolic syndrome.