TNF and Obesity: Similarly, TNF-α mRNA expression was directly correlated with the BMI (r = 0.34; P = 0.02, n = 48) (Figure 9A), and TNF-α mRNA and protein levels were significantly higher (P = 0.005 and P = 0.007, respectively) in individuals with obesity as compared to those with normoweight or overweight controls (Figure 9B–D).