Prospective Study of Optimal Obesity Index Cutoffs for Predicting Development of Multiple Metabolic Risk Factors: The Korean Genome and Epidemiology Study

Abstract

BackgroundIn this prospective cohort study, we estimated the risk of developing more than 1 metabolic risk factor, using different obesity indices. In addition, we investigated the relative usefulness of the obesity indices for predicting development of such risk factors and calculated optimal cutoffs for the obesity indices.MethodsThe cohort comprised 10 038 representative residents of a small city and a rural county who were recruited in 2001–2002. Follow-up examinations were conducted every 2 years. Among the 3857 participants without metabolic syndrome at baseline, 1102 new cases occurred during the 6-year follow-up. Receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curves for the obesity indices were plotted to compare the usefulness of the obesity indices.ResultsThe numbers of new cases of multiple metabolic risk factors among people in the highest quintiles of body mass index (BMI), waist circumference (WC), waist-hip ratio (WHR), and waist-height ratio at the baseline examination were 2 to 3 times those in the lowest quintiles. The area under the ROC curve for WHR was significantly higher than that for BMI. The optimal BMI cutoff was 24 kg/m2 in men and women, and the optimal WC cutoffs were 80 cm and 78 cm in men and women, respectively.ConclusionsBoth overall obesity and central obesity predicted risk of developing multiple metabolic risk factors, and WHR appeared to be a better discriminator than BMI. To prevent development of metabolic diseases among Koreans, it might be useful to lower the cutoff for abdominal obesity, as defined by WC.

Physical Activity and the Prevalence of General and Abdominal Obesity among Saudi Women of Reproductive Age in Jeddah City

“…These findings support previous studies that suggest that ethnic variation among populations from different countries might require different anthropometric measurement cut-off points to diagnose obesity and its related diseases [13,25]. This decision was made because studies had confirmed that disease risk in Asian people was high at WC cut-off points below those defined in European populations [55][56][57]. Therefore, further research is essential to determine ethnic-specific anthropometric cutoff points for the Saudi Arabia population, which may potentially be beneficial in correctly identifying individuals at high risk for developing obesity and its related diseases.…”

Best Anthropometric and Atherogenic Predictors of Metabolic Syndrome in the Chinese Han Population in Xinjiang: The Cardiovascular Risk Survey

“…In our study, the WHtR cut-off values were higher than those in Japanese (2005-2007) [31] and Korean (2001) [32 ]men and women. We also noticed that the cut-off value of WHtR in women in Xinjiang was the same as in women in Guangdong, suggesting that WHtR may be a better universal indicator for the Chinese population.…”

Waist-to-Height Ratio and Triglycerides/High-Density Lipoprotein Cholesterol Were the Optimal Predictors of Metabolic Syndrome in Uighur Men and Women in Xinjiang, China

“…33 As for the Asian population, BMI, WHR, and WHtR values in both man and women of our study were higher than those in Japanese and Korean man and women. 34,35 We also noticed that cutoff values of BMI, WHR, WHtR, and TG/HDL in Uighur women were also higher than those in Chinese women in Guangdong. 5 It remains unclear why the cutoffs to detect the metabolic syndrome in a Uighur population were higher than those in Asian and African population and lower than those in the European population.…”