title: Optimal cutoffs of percentage body fat for predicting obesity-related cardiovascular disease risk factors in Korean adults.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Obesity is a major health problem. It is associated with cardiovascular disease. The diagnosis of obesity is crucial to treating and preventing obesity-related medical problems.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  The objective was to determine optimal percentage body fat cutoffs in Korean adults for predicting obesity-related cardiovascular disease risk factors.
  
  
  METHODS
  We evaluated the body composition and prevalence of obesity-related cardiovascular risk factors, such as hypertension, diabetes mellitus, and dyslipidemia, in 41,088 Korean adults aged 18-92 y. The optimal percentage body fat cutoffs for Korean adults were determined. Multivariable-adjusted odds ratios (ORs) of overweight and obesity were estimated by logistic regression.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The first cutoffs in men and women were 17% and 32% body fat, respectively; the second cutoffs were 21% and 37% body fat, respectively. The percentages of obese men and women were 41.8% and 15.9%, respectively. The adjusted OR of at least one risk factor for overweight or obesity in men was 2.22 (95% CI: 2.07, 2.38) or 4.05 (95% CI: 3.78, 4.33). The adjusted OR for women was 1.95 (95% CI: 1.79, 2.07; P < 0.0001) or 3.21 (95% CI: 2.87, 3.57).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Only one-fourth of Korean men had a normal body composition, whereas most of the Korean women had a normal body composition. We conclude that susceptibility to cardiovascular disease and its risk factors is higher in Korean men than in Korean women. The cutoffs are useful for providing adequate guidelines for treating and preventing cardiovascular disease. This was the first study to determine cutoffs of percentage body fat for Korean adults.
authors.affiliation: Department of Physiology and Biophysics, Antiaging Research Center, School of Medicine, Eulji University, Chung-Ku, Daejeon, Korea.
authors.forename: Chul-Hyun
authors.initials: CH
authors.lastname: Kim
authors.forename: Hye Soon
authors.initials: HS
authors.lastname: Park
authors.forename: Mira
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Park
authors.forename: Hyeoijin
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Kim
authors.forename: Chan
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Kim
mesh_terms: D000273:Adipose Tissue / Q000033:anatomy & histology*; D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D001823:Body Composition; D015992:Body Mass Index; D002318:Cardiovascular Diseases / Q000209:etiology*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007723:Korea; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009765:Obesity / Q000150:complications*; D012307:Risk Factors; D055105:Waist Circumference; D055815:Young Adult