title: The relationship between waist circumference and the risk of stroke and myocardial infarction in a Japanese urban cohort: the Suita study.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Body mass index is most commonly used as the obesity index. Recently, waist circumference (WC) has been shown to be associated with the risk of cardiovascular disease (CVD). However, no studies have observed an association between WC and CVD in Japan. We examined the relationships of WC and body mass index with CVD in a Japanese urban population.
  
  
  METHODS
  We studied 5474 Japanese individuals (aged 30 to 79 years without CVD at baseline) who completed a baseline survey and received follow-up through December 2005. WC was measured at the umbilical level of participants in the standing position to the nearest 1 cm. The Cox proportional hazard ratios for CVD according to the quartiles of WC were calculated after adjustment for age, smoking, and drinking status.
  
  
  RESULTS
  During a mean follow-up of 11.7 years, 207 strokes and 133 myocardial infarctions were documented. In women, compared with the lowest quartile (WC <70 cm), the hazard ratio (95% CIs) after adjusting for age, smoking, and drinking in the highest quartile (WC >or=84 cm) were 1.85 (1.03 to 3.31) for CVD and 2.64 (1.16 to 6.03) for stroke. However, no such relationships of WC with CVD or stroke risk were observed in men. After further adjustment of hypertension, diabetes, and hypercholesterolemia, all of the mentioned relationships were not statistically significant. No associations of body mass index with CVD or strokes were observed.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  WC may be a better predictor for CVD or stroke in Japanese women.
authors.forename: Yoko
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Furukawa
authors.forename: Yoshihiro
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Kokubo
authors.forename: Tomonori
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Okamura
authors.forename: Makoto
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Watanabe
authors.forename: Aya
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Higashiyama
authors.forename: Yuu
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Ono
authors.forename: Katsuyuki
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Kawanishi
authors.forename: Akira
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Okayama
authors.forename: Chigusa
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Date
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D044466:Asian People / Q000208:ethnology; D015331:Cohort Studies; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009203:Myocardial Infarction / Q000208:ethnology / Q000209:etiology* / Q000503:physiopathology; D009765:Obesity / Q000150:complications / Q000208:ethnology; D012307:Risk Factors; D020521:Stroke / Q000208:ethnology / Q000209:etiology* / Q000503:physiopathology; D014505:Urban Population; D055105:Waist Circumference / Q000502:physiology