Evaluation of metabolic syndrome risk in Korean premenopausal women: not waist circumference but visceral fat.
BACKGROUND
In clinical practice, using the patient's waist circumference (WC) to evaluate visceral obesity may underestimate disorders with a metabolic origin. This study examined whether or not the WC derived from the cut-off point of the visceral fat area (VFA) can reflect the features of metabolic syndrome (MetS) in premenopausal women.


RESULTS
Computed tomography-scanned VFA, MetS components and the concentrations of high-sensitivity C-reactive protein (CRP) and adiponectin were measured in a total of 349 premenopausal women. The VFA at the L1 and the L4 sites was a significant index (p<0.001) of incremental MetS risk. Receiver-operating characteristic curve analysis showed that 75 cm2 of VFA at L4 and 87.5 cm2 at L1 were the optimal thresholds for discrimination of MetS risk. Significant differences in all MetS components, as well as CRP (p<0.05) and adiponectin levels (p<0.005), were observed when subjects were subdivided by the L4 VFA cut-off point (<75/>or=75 cm2), whereas there was a significant difference only in the triglycerides level in the groups divided by WC (WC<88/>or=88 cm). Moreover, subjects with a lower WC-higher VFA showed a similar pattern in MetS components and lower adiponectin than those with a higher WC-higher VFA.


CONCLUSIONS
This study clarified that VFA rather than WC is a major determinant of MetS risk in premenopausal women.
Hyun
Yae Jung
YJ
National Research Laboratory of Clinical Nutrigenetics/Nutrigenomics, Yonsei University, Department of Food & Nutrition, Seoul, Korea.
Kim
Oh Yoen
OY
Jang
Yangsoo
Y
Ha
Jong-Won
JW
Chae
Jey Sook
JS
Kim
Ji Young
JY
Yeo
Hyun Yang
HY
Paik
Jean Kyung
JK
Lee
Jong Ho
JH
D052242:Adiponectin / Q000097:blood; D050154:Adiposity; D000328:Adult; D044466:Asian People; D015415:Biomarkers / Q000097:blood; D015992:Body Mass Index; D049628:Body Size; D002097:C-Reactive Protein / Q000378:metabolism; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D050152:Intra-Abdominal Fat / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000378:metabolism / Q000473:pathology*; D007723:Korea; D016014:Linear Models; D008055:Lipids / Q000097:blood; D024821:Metabolic Syndrome / Q000208:ethnology / Q000209:etiology* / Q000378:metabolism / Q000473:pathology; D008875:Middle Aged; D017697:Premenopause; D012372:ROC Curve; D018570:Risk Assessment; D012307:Risk Factors; D014057:Tomography, X-Ray Computed
C499918:ADIPOQ protein, human; D052242:Adiponectin; D015415:Biomarkers; D008055:Lipids; D002097:C-Reactive Protein