What is the relationship between cystatin C (CysC) levels and all-cause, cardiovascular disease (CVD), and cancer mortality in US adults with metabolic syndrome (MetS)?
Cystatin C / eGFR Kidney Test, a prospective cohort study (J Clin Endocrinol Metab 2024, PMID 38597157) — during a mean follow-up of 15.3 years, 819 deaths occurred. The abstract for Cystatin C / eGFR Kidney Test states no limitations.
Source: J Clin Endocrinol Metab 2024, PMID 38597157 ↗ · Research map · How Magellan grades evidence · evidence confidence: medium
J Clin Endocrinol Metab · 2024 · PMID 38597157 · DOI 10.1210/clinem/dgae225
Higher cystatin C levels are linked to increased risk of death from all causes, cardiovascular disease, and cancer in adults with metabolic syndrome.
The question
What is the relationship between cystatin C (CysC) levels and all-cause, cardiovascular disease (CVD), and cancer mortality in US adults with metabolic syndrome (MetS)?
What they tested
The study implicitly hypothesized that higher cystatin C levels would be associated with increased mortality rates in MetS patients.
How they did it
This prospective cohort study utilized data from the 1999-2002 National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES), including 1980 MetS participants. Researchers used fitted curves, Kaplan-Meier survival curves, Cox regression analysis, and receiver operating characteristic curves to assess the relationship between CysC levels and mortality outcomes.
What they found
During a mean follow-up of 15.3 years, 819 deaths occurred. Higher CysC levels were linked to increased all-cause, CVD, and cancer mortality rates. After adjustment, CysC was associated with all-cause mortality (HR 1.63), CVD mortality (HR 1.53), and cancer mortality (HR 1.53). Participants in the highest CysC tertile had higher risks for all-cause (HR 1.87), CVD (HR 1.97), and cancer mortality (HR 1.72) compared to the lowest tertile. CysC showed higher predictive efficacy for mortality outcomes than eGFR, urea nitrogen, creatinine, uric acid, and C-reactive protein. CysC alone had substantial predictive value for all-cause (AUC 0.773) and CVD mortality (AUC 0.726), which improved when combined with age (AUC 0.861 for all-cause, AUC 0.771 for CVD mortality).
| All-cause mortality | 1.87 | |
|---|---|---|
| CVD mortality | 1.97 | |
| Cancer mortality | 1.72 |
Hazard ratios for all-cause, CVD, and cancer mortality in the highest cystatin C tertile compared to the lowest tertile among metabolic syndrome patients.
What it means
Elevated cystatin C levels are associated with a higher risk of all-cause, cardiovascular disease, and cancer death in patients with metabolic syndrome. Cystatin C may serve as a predictor for all-cause and cardiovascular mortality in this population.
Limitations
The abstract does not explicitly state limitations of the study.
Where the published abstract does not list limitations, we say so rather than inventing them. Read the full paper on PubMed before drawing conclusions.
The paper at a glance
| Title | Cystatin C Is a Predictor for Long-Term, All-Cause, and Cardiovascular Mortality in US Adults With Metabolic Syndrome |
|---|---|
| Journal | J Clin Endocrinol Metab |
| Year | 2024 |
| PMID | 38597157 ↗ |
| DOI | 10.1210/clinem/dgae225 ↗ |
| Topic | Metabolic health, glucose & body composition |
Read the source: PubMed record (authors, abstract, full citation) ↗ · Publisher via doi.org ↗
Where Magellan uses this paper
This citation sits behind the evidence grade on the pages below. Grades are set from the research and are independent of affiliate commissions.
Cystatin C / eGFR Kidney Test
Across large cohorts and meta-analyses, cystatin C-based eGFR is at least as accurate as creatinine-based eGFR and is more strongly associated with death, cardiovascular events, and end-stage kidney disease—in one ~90,750-person consortium meta-analysis it markedly improved risk reclassification for death—and it…
Cystatin C is a low-molecular-weight protein produced at a nearly constant rate by all nucleated cells…
Research describes the compound or intervention studied. It is not a claim about any specific product.
Molecules & mechanisms in this paper
Each of these is named in the paper’s own words above. Open the monograph for the full mechanism and its other citations.
Cite this page
These citations point at this summary. To cite the original paper with its full author list, use the PubMed record or doi.org.
Magellan Longevity. (2026). What is the relationship between cystatin C (CysC) levels and all-cause, cardiovascular disease (CVD), and cancer mortality in US adults with metabolic syndrome (MetS)? [Plain-English summary of J Clin Endocrinol Metab 2024, PMID 38597157, DOI 10.1210/clinem/dgae225]. Magellan Longevity. https://magellanlongevity.com/study/d38597157.html@misc{magellan_d38597157,
title = {What is the relationship between cystatin C (CysC) levels and all-cause, cardiovascular disease (CVD), and cancer mortality in US adults with metabolic syndrome (MetS)?},
author = {{Magellan Longevity}},
year = {2026},
howpublished = {\url{https://magellanlongevity.com/study/d38597157.html}},
note = {Plain-English summary of PubMed PMID 38597157; DOI 10.1210/clinem/dgae225; J Clin Endocrinol Metab 2024. Reviewed by Gabriel Radu, DO},
urldate = {2026-08-11}
}https://magellanlongevity.com/study/d38597157.htmlRelated studies in the Magellan library
- What are the associations of lower eGFR (based on creatinine alone or combined with cystatin…JAMA · 2023 · PMID 37787795
- The Effect of Berberine Supplementation on Glycemic Control and Inflammatory Biomarkers in…Clin Ther · 2023 · PMID 38016844
- Inflammation, Cholesterol, Lipoprotein(a), and 30-Year Cardiovascular Outcomes in WomenN Engl J Med · 2024 · PMID 39216091
- Profiling Inflammatory Biomarkers following Curcumin Supplementation: An Umbrella…Evid Based Complement Alternat Med · 2023 · PMID 36700039
- Antioxidant and anti-inflammatory effects of curcumin/turmeric supplementation in adultsCytokine · 2023 · PMID 36804260
- Evaluating the Impact of Urolithin A Supplementation on Running Performance, Recovery, and…Sports Med · 2025 · PMID 40839339
All 22 Magellan summaries on metabolic health, glucose & body composition →
Prefer the interactive version? Open this summary in the Magellan app → · Browse all 314 study summaries →