Fig. 2From: Association of TCM body constitution with insulin resistance and risk of diabetes in impaired glucose regulation patientsSerum levels of inflammatory mediators in IGR subjects with TCM body constitutions. Serum levels of IL-6 and TNF-α were measured by ELISA, and their associations with Phlegm-damp (a, d), Damp-heat (b, e) and Qi-deficiency (c, f) were investigated. Serum IL-6 and TNF-α levels are significantly higher in IGR subjects with Phlegm-damp or with Damp-heat constitutions as compared with IGR subjects without respective constitutions. Box plots are displayed, where the bold black line indicates the median per group, the box represents 50% of the values, and horizontal lines show minimum and maximum values of the calculated non-outlier values; open circles indicate outlier values. Wilcoxon-Mann-Whitney test was performed. *P<0.05. IGR: impaired glucose regulation; IL-6: interleukin 6; TNF-α: tumour necrosis factor-αBack to article page