Different waist circumferences, different metabolic risks in Koreans.
OBJECTIVE
We investigated the difference in metabolic parameters by waist circumference (WC) and body mass index (BMI) in a population of Korean men and women.


METHODS
We collected data on 69,535 Korean men and women and performed a cross-sectional analysis of the data. Study subjects were grouped by BMI and WC. We measured metabolic parameters for each group and compared the differences in the metabolic abnormalities. Subjects were grouped as follows: normal group (NG; normal WC and normal BMI); centrally obese group (COG; high WC and normal BMI); generally obese group (GOG; normal WC and high BMI); and combined obese group (COM; high WC and high BMI).


RESULTS
Subjects in the COM group showed more metabolic parameter abnormalities in comparison to the other groups. In men, triglyceride (TG) and fasting blood glucose (FBG) levels were higher in the COG than in the GOG. Correspondingly, total cholesterol (TC), TG, and FBG levels were higher in the female COG than in the female GOG. In addition, the mean numbers of abnormal metabolic parameters in the COG were higher than in the GOG for both men and women. More men and women developed metabolic syndrome in the COG (39.1% in men, 33.0% in women) than in the GOG (9.7% in men, 7.8% in women).


CONCLUSIONS
Among Koreans, the COG had more metabolic abnormalities and metabolic syndrome than the GOG.
Joo
Nam Seok
NS
Department of Family Practice and Community Health, Ajou University School of Medicine, Suwon, Republic of Korea.
Kim
Bom Taeck
BT
Park
Sat Byul
SB
Kong
Mi Hee
MH
Lee
Tae Young
TY
Kim
Kwang Min
KM
D000328:Adult; D015992:Body Mass Index; D005260:Female; D006305:Health Status Indicators; D006801:Humans; D007723:Korea / Q000453:epidemiology; D008297:Male; D008659:Metabolic Diseases; D008875:Middle Aged; D018570:Risk Assessment; D049629:Waist-Hip Ratio