title: Body mass index and waist circumference associate to a comparable degree with insulin resistance and related metabolic abnormalities in South Asian women and men.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  The aim of this study was to test the hypothesis that body mass index (BMI) and waist circumference (WC) associate to a comparable degree with insulin resistance and cardiometabolic risk factors in South Asians.
  
  
  METHODS
  We measured blood pressure and fasting glucose, insulin, triglyceride, high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C), high-sensitivity C-reactive protein (hs-CRP), and fibrinogen and calculated the homeostasis model assessment of insulin resistance (HOMA-IR) in a community-based sample of 923 nondiabetic South Asians.
  
  
  RESULTS
  BMI and WC were highly correlated in both genders (r = 0.82 and 0.87). The relationship between BMI and values of blood pressure, glucose, insulin, HOMA-IR, triglyceride, HDL-C, hs-CRP, and fibrinogen was comparable to that between WC and these variables. Fasting insulin and HOMA-IR correlated most strongly with BMI (r = 0.49 to 0.56) and WC (r = 0.52 to 0.59).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  These results show that BMI and WC associate to a comparable degree with estimates of insulin resistance and related metabolic abnormalities in South Asians.
authors.affiliation: Division of Cardiovascular Medicine, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, CA 94305, USA. fahim@stanford.edu
authors.forename: Fahim
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Abbasi
authors.forename: Donna
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Malhotra
authors.forename: Ashish
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Mathur
authors.forename: Gerald M
authors.initials: GM
authors.lastname: Reaven
authors.forename: César R
authors.initials: CR
authors.lastname: Molina
mesh_terms: D050154:Adiposity / Q000208:ethnology; D000328:Adult; D001210:Asia, Southeastern / Q000208:ethnology; D044466:Asian People; D015415:Biomarkers / Q000097:blood; D001786:Blood Glucose / Q000032:analysis; D001794:Blood Pressure; D015992:Body Mass Index; D002097:C-Reactive Protein / Q000032:analysis; D002140:California / Q000453:epidemiology; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D050171:Dyslipidemias / Q000208:ethnology; D005260:Female; D005340:Fibrinogen / Q000032:analysis; D006801:Humans; D006973:Hypertension / Q000208:ethnology; D007328:Insulin / Q000097:blood; D007333:Insulin Resistance / Q000208:ethnology*; D008055:Lipids / Q000097:blood; D008297:Male; D024821:Metabolic Syndrome / Q000097:blood / Q000208:ethnology* / Q000503:physiopathology; D008875:Middle Aged; D009765:Obesity / Q000097:blood / Q000208:ethnology* / Q000503:physiopathology; D012737:Sex Factors; D055105:Waist Circumference / Q000208:ethnology*
chemical_list: D015415:Biomarkers; D001786:Blood Glucose; D007328:Insulin; D008055:Lipids; D005340:Fibrinogen; D002097:C-Reactive Protein