Obesity is an epidemic in much of the developed world, for example in the United States, with 20% of males and 25% of females now classified as obese (Body Mass Index (BMI) ≥ 30.0 kg/m 2 ). 1On the other hand, in Japan, the prevalence of preobese (BMI: 25.0-29.9 kg/m 2 ) and obese (BMI ≥ 30.0 kg/m 2 ) men increased from 14.5% and 0.8%, respectively, in the time-period 1976-80 to 20.5% and 2.01% during 1991-95, and obesity has increased gradually among Japanese people, who are generally shorter and

OBJECTIVE: To assess the validity of self-reported height and weight in a Japanese workplace population, and to examine factors associated with the validity of self-reported weight. DESIGN: Comparison of self-reported height and weight with independent measurement. SUBJECTS: In total, 4253 men and 1148 women aged 35-64 y (mean measured body mass index (BMI): 23.3 kg/m 2 in men, 21.9 kg/m 2 in women) were included in the study. MEASUREMENTS: Self-reported height and weight were obtained by a self-administered questionnaire. Measured height and weight were based on annual health checkups. Sex, age, measured BMI, and the presence of hypertension, diabetes, and hyperlipidemia were examined as potential factors associated with the accuracy of self-reported weight. RESULTS: Self-reported height and weight were highly correlated with measured height and weight for men and women (Pearson's r for men and women: 0.979 and 0.988 in height, 0.961 and 0.959 in weight, 0.943 and 0.950 in BMI, respectively). For men, mean differences72 s.d. of height and weight were 0.07872.324 cm and À0.03475.012 kg, respectively, and for women 0.02971.652 cm and 0.02474.192 kg, respectively. The prevalence of obesity with BMI Z25 kg/m 2 based on selfreported data (23.6 and 11.5% for men and women, respectively) was slightly smaller than that based on measured data (24.9 and 12.4%, respectively). Specificity and sensitivity, however, were quite high for both men and women (sensitivity was 85.8 and 85.2%, and specificity was 97.0 and 98.9%, respectively). The subjects with higher measured BMI significantly underestimated their weight compared with those with smaller BMI after adjustments for age in men and women. Furthermore, the presence of diabetes in men and age in women affected self-reported weight. Neither the presence of hypertension nor hyperlipidemia was associated with reporting bias. CONCLUSION: The self-reported height and weight were generally reliable in the middle-aged employed Japanese men and women. However, it should be remembered that self-reported weight was biased by actual BMI and affected by age and the presence of diabetes.

Background— Anti-inflammatory and proinflammatory molecules purportedly play an important role in developing metabolic syndrome (MetS). However, little is known as to the relative importance of these molecules in the association with MetS. Methods and Results— We studied 624 middle-aged Japanese men without medical history of cardiovascular disease or cancer and investigated the associations of circulating tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α), interleukin-6 (IL-6), C-reactive protein (CRP), and adiponectin with MetS. We used the respective definitions proposed by the National Cholesterol Education Program Adult Treatment Panel III (ATP-III), the International Diabetes Federation, and the Japanese Society of Internal Medicine. Decreased serum adiponectin was observed in those with any of the ATP-III–MetS components, whereas this was not the case with increased TNF-α, IL-6, or CRP. Adiponectin and CRP levels linearly deteriorated with an increasing number of ATP-III–MetS components (trend P <0.001, respectively). Significantly higher CRP and lower adiponectin levels were observed in those who met any MetS criteria, whereas increased TNF-α was observed in only those with ATP-III–MetS. Finally, odds ratios (ORs) for MetS prevalence of a 1-SD increase/decrease in log-transformed 4 markers were calculated with multivariate logistic regression analyses. Consequently, decreased adiponectin was associated most strongly with ATP-III–MetS (adiponectin: OR, 1.90 [95% CI, 1.44 to 2.51]; P <0.001; CRP: OR, 1.33 [95% CI, 1.01 to 1.74]; P =0.03; TNF-α: OR, 1.25 [95% CI, 0.94 to 1.67]; P =0.12; and IL-6: OR, 0.87 [95% CI, 0.63 to 1.19]; P =0.37). This result was not altered by using the other 2 criteria. Conclusions— The present results raise the possibility that decreased serum adiponectin might be fundamentally involved in the development of MetS.

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