During the median exposure period of 3.98 years, after adjusting for potential confounding factors, the path coefficient from baseline CRP (2006) to follow-up MetS-Z (2010) (β2 = 0.032; 95% CI = 0.026–0.046, P < 0.001) was more significant than the path coefficient from baseline MetS-Z (2006) to follow-up CRP (2010) (β1 = 0.009; 95% CI = −0.001, 0.019, P < 0.091) (Figure 2, Panel A). This evidence concerns the gene CRP and metabolic syndrome.