Predicting Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus Occurrence Using Three-Dimensional Anthropometric Body Surface Scanning Measurements: A Prospective Cohort Study

Abstract

Background An accurate and comprehensive anthropometric measure for predicting type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) has not yet been depicted. Methods A total of 8450 nondiabetic participants were recruited during 2000–2010 in Taiwan. The cohort was followed up to the end of 2013, over an average of 8.87 years. At recruitment, participants completed a questionnaire related to basic demographics, lifestyle variables, personal disease history, and family disease history. 3D body surface scanning was used to obtain 35 anatomical measurements. A Cox proportional hazard model was used to conduct multivariable analyses. Results A total of 2068 T2DM cases at an incidence rate of 27.59 × 10−3 (year−1) were identified during the follow-up period. Multivariable-adjusted hazard ratios (HRs) demonstrated that neck circumference (NC) (HR = 1.048; 95% CI = 1.033–1.064), waist width (WW) (HR = 1.061; 95% CI = 1.040–1.081), and left thigh circumference (TC) (HR = 0.984; 95% CI = 0.972–0.995) were significant predictors of the occurrence of T2DM. While dividing body measurement into median high/low groups, an increased risk of T2DM was observed among participants with a larger NC and smaller TC (HR = 1.375; 95% CI = 1.180–1.601) and a larger WW and smaller TC (HR = 1.278; 95% CI = 1.085–1.505) relative to other participants. Conclusions This study suggests that as well as using traditional waist and TC measurements, NC can be used as an indicator to provide an early prediction of developing T2DM, while providing clues for future mechanistic investigations of T2DM.

Adverse body measurements are superior to sarcopenia-associated measurements in predicting chronic diseases

“…However, in this study, we observed that smaller measurements of the lower limbs increased the risk of diseases, whereas the smaller measurements of the upper limbs and visceral fat accumulation synergistically increased the risk of diseases. Although studies have indicated that thigh circumference is negatively associated with T2DM, dementia, and cancer 12 , 16 , 17 , this study confirmed that it is a long-term predictor of sarcopenia-associated chronic diseases. The present study proposes using the ABMS, which involves the use of upper arm, waist, and thigh measurements for its calculation, as a reliable biomarker for predicting sarcopenia-associated chronic diseases.…”

“…The lower limbs account for approximately 70% of muscle mass. Studies have indicated that larger hip and thigh circumferences are associated with a low risk of T2DM, dementia, and internal cancers, independent of sociodemographic variables 12 , 16 , 17 . The soft tissue in the thigh is mostly composed of muscle mass and subcutaneous fat.…”

“…However, it is not feasible to apply the aforementioned classification criteria for sarcopenia to a large population in an epidemiological study. In addition, from a clinical perspective, the presence of an adverse body shape or a combination of body measures, including sarcopenic obesity, a large waist-to-thigh ratio, and lean lower limbs is the most concerning 12 , 13 . Specific body measurements can provide useful information for predicting adverse outcomes in the older community-dwelling population.…”

“…Epidemiological studies have used anthropometric measurements, such as body mass index (BMI), waist circumference (WC), and waist-to-hip ratio (WHR), and have also explored different new body measurements for predicting chronic diseases. Studies have debated whether existing or innovative body measurements, such as BMI, WC, thigh circumference, WHR, and waist-to-thigh ratio, correlate better with selected diseases, such as T2DM, hypertension, dementia, and cancer 12 , 16 , 17 . Whether sarcopenia-related body measurements are associated with poor health outcomes is still imperfectly understood.…”

Physical activity is associated with lower health care costs among Taiwanese individuals with diabetes mellitus

“…The disease prevalence is likely to increase in the coming years considering that it is the fastest-growing chronic disease in the world. [ 5 ] However, our findings suggest that about 330 to 660 million USD (10–20 billion NTD) could be saved annually if Taiwanese adults with DM could adopt a more active lifestyle.…”