Waist circumference measurement sites and their association with visceral and subcutaneous fat and cardiometabolic abnormalities

Abstract

Objectives: To estimate the degree of variability of the waist circumference (WC) when obtained in different anatomical sites and compare the performance of the measurement sites as predictors of visceral adipose tissue (VAT) and subcutaneous adipose tissue (SAT) and cardiometabolic abnormalities. Subjects and methods: Cross-sectional study involving 119 individuals with overweight (50.3 ± 12.2 years), in which six WC measurement sites were evaluated (minimal waist, immediately below the lowest rib, midpoint between the lowest rib and the iliac crest, 2 cm above the umbilicus, immediately above the iliac crest, umbilicus level), in addition to the VAT and SAT (quantified by computed tomography) and cardiometabolic parameters. Results: The differences between the measurements ranged from 0.2 ± 2.7 cm to 6.9 ± 6.7 cm for men, and from 0.1 ± 3.7 cm to 10.1 ± 4.3 cm for women. The minimum waist showed significant correlation with VAT (r = 0.70) and with a higher number of cardiometabolic parameters among men. Regarding women, the WC measurement showed high correlation with SAT and moderate correlation with VAT, not being found superiority of one measurement protocol in relation to the others when assessed the correlation with VAT and with cardiometabolic parameters. Conclusions: Greater variability between the measuring sites was observed among women. With respect to men, the minimum waist performed better as a predictor of VAT and cardiometabolic alterations.

The Correlation between the Ratio of Visceral Fat Area to Subcutaneous Fat Area on Computed Tomography and Lipid Accumulation Product as Indexes of Cardiovascular Risk

“…Some results revealed that WC is a better indicator of visceral fat and CVD risk compared with BMI and waist to hip ratio. The results of this study showed the same result 24–26. A previous study showed that the V/S ratio assessed by ultrasonography is significantly associated with glucose metabolism in patients at high risk of developing type 2 diabetes mellitus 27.…”

External validation of the relative fat mass (RFM) index in adults from north-west Mexico using different reference methods

“…In our study, we cannot assert that the anatomical location could affect the calculation of RFM. Nonetheless, a study in overweight adults in Brazil found a difference of 3.2 cm in WC in men, measured at the umbilical level and immediately above the iliac crest, while in women the difference was only 0.1 cm [44]. Also, a study in older adults measured WC at ten different sites in relation to abdominal fat by DXA and found that the association was practically identical [45].…”

Association Between Anthropometric Measurements and the Amount of Fat Aspirated in Waist and Abdominal Liposuction: A 20-year Retrospective Study

“…But WC is indeed genderspeci c (36). Furthermore, as Bosy-Westphal A et al and Pinho CPS et al postulated, it was noted that the WC, regardless of the measurement site, was predominantly a subcutaneous fat index among women (37,38). Moreover, Pinho CPS et al (38) proposed that the distribution of abdominal fat was heavily genderdependent.…”