Measures of adiposity in the identification of metabolic abnormalities in elderly men.
BACKGROUND
Body mass index (BMI; in kg/m(2)) is considered a poor indicator of overall and abdominal obesity in the elderly.


OBJECTIVE
Our goal was to determine which simple anthropometric measurements [BMI, waist-to-hip ratio (WHR), waist circumference (WC), percentage body fat (%BF), or fat mass (FM)] are most closely associated with metabolic risk factors and insulin resistance in elderly men.


METHODS
This was a cross-sectional study of 2924 men aged 60-79 y with no history of coronary heart disease, stroke, or diabetes who were drawn from general practices in 24 British towns.


RESULTS
BMI and WC were the measures most strongly associated with the metabolic syndrome (>/=3 of the following: hypertension, low HDL cholesterol, high triacylglycerols, or high blood glucose) and insulin resistance. For a 1-SD increase in BMI, WC, WHR, %BF, and FM, the odds ratios (95% CIs) of having the metabolic syndrome after adjustment for age, socioeconomic status, smoking status, and physical activity were as follows: BMI, 1.61 (1.44, 1.79); WC, 1.65 (1.48, 1.81); WHR, 1.49 (1.34, 1.66); %BF, 1.41 (1.25, 1.59); and FM, 1.53 (1.38, 1.70). For insulin resistance, the odds ratios (95% CIs) were as follows: 2.48 (2.22, 2.77), 2.46 (2.19, 2.65), 1.75 (1.59, 1.93), 1.79 (1.60, 2.00), and 2.10 (1.88, 2.34), respectively. In normal-weight (BMI < 25) and overweight (BMI 25-29.9) men, the presence of the metabolic syndrome and insulin resistance increased with increasing WC; this did not occur in obese men.


CONCLUSIONS
BMI and WC are the simple measures of adiposity most strongly associated with metabolic abnormalities in elderly men. Our findings suggest that WC can be used as a complementary measurement to identify health risks in normal-weight and overweight elderly persons.
Wannamethee
S Goya
SG
Department of Primary Care and Population Sciences, Royal Free and University College Medical School, London, United Kingdom. goya@pcps.ucl.ac.uk
Shaper
A Gerald
AG
Morris
Richard W
RW
Whincup
Peter H
PH
D000273:Adipose Tissue / Q000033:anatomy & histology / Q000378:metabolism; D000368:Aged; D001823:Body Composition / Q000502:physiology*; D001824:Body Constitution / Q000502:physiology*; D015992:Body Mass Index; D002318:Cardiovascular Diseases / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000209:etiology; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D004734:Energy Metabolism / Q000502:physiology; D006801:Humans; D007333:Insulin Resistance; D008297:Male; D024821:Metabolic Syndrome / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000209:etiology*; D008875:Middle Aged; D009765:Obesity / Q000150:complications / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000378:metabolism; D011446:Prospective Studies; D012372:ROC Curve; D012307:Risk Factors; D049629:Waist-Hip Ratio