Our results show that sCD14 levels are associated with both subclinical vascular disease (carotid intima-media thickness and ABI) and with the risk of future clinical CVD in older adults, independently of other risk factors. The reason for the negative association between sCD14 and BMI is unclear, though the inter-relationships between the CD14 system and obesity appear to be complex. sCD14 can both potentiate and down-regulate responses to LPS. For example, adipose tissue CD14 gene expression is increased in obese humans, whereas mice harboring CD14 mutations have decreased body fat. In contrast, administration of exogenous recombinant human sCD14 is associated with decreased visceral fat and adipocyte inflammatory gene expression in high-fat-fed mice. Another possible explanation for the paradoxical association with sCD14 observed in CHS is that lower BMI could constitute a marker for frailty and chronic disease in older adults.There is no coherent text to be processed. The given text consists of a list of references cited in a research paper.