Optimal waist circumference cutoff value reflecting insulin resistance as a diagnostic criterion of metabolic syndrome in a nondiabetic Korean population aged 40 years and over: the Chungju Metabolic Disease Cohort (CMC) study.
OBJECTIVE
We aimed at determining the cutoff value of waist circumference with respect to its ability to reflect insulin resistance in a Korean population.


METHODS
A total of 8,817 subjects aged 40 years and over were analyzed. Insulin resistant individuals were defined as those who had the highest quartile value of the homeostasis model assessment of insulin resistance (HOMA-IR) in a non-diabetic population. Receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve analysis and multiple logistic regression analysis were applied.


RESULTS
The cutoff value of waist circumference reflecting insulin resistance from the ROC analysis was 84.4 cm for men and 80.6 cm for women. Sensitivity and specificity were 70.0% and 54.2% in men and 71.1% and 59.3% in women, respectively. After being controlled for other covariates, the odds ratio for the risk of insulin resistance using < 70 cm of waist circumference as a reference increased significantly in the category of 85.0-89.9 cm for men and 80.0-84.9 cm for women. In addition, statistically significant associations were consistently observed over the category of 85.0-89.9 cm for men and 80.0-84.9 cm for women.


CONCLUSIONS
The optimal cutoff value for waist circumference reflecting insulin resistance is considered to be 85 cm for men and 80 cm for women, suggesting that the Asian criterion of abdominal obesity (90 cm for men and 80 cm for women) as a component of metabolic syndrome (MetS) might not be applicable for middle-aged to older men in Korea.
Park
Yong-Moon
YM
Department of Preventive Medicine, College of Medicine, The Catholic University of Korea, Seocho-gu, Seoul 137-701, Korea.
Kwon
Hyuk-Sang
HS
Lim
Sun Young
SY
Lee
Jin-Hee
JH
Yoon
Kun-Ho
KH
Son
Ho-Young
HY
Yim
Hyeon Woo
HW
Lee
Won-Chul
WC
D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D015331:Cohort Studies; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007333:Insulin Resistance; D016015:Logistic Models; D008297:Male; D024821:Metabolic Syndrome / Q000175:diagnosis*; D008875:Middle Aged; D012372:ROC Curve; D012727:Sex Characteristics; D055105:Waist Circumference