title: Appropriate BMI cut-off values for identification of metabolic risk factors: third national surveillance of risk factors of non-communicable diseases in Iran (SuRFNCD-2007).
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To determine the appropriate threshold of body mass index (BMI) associated with increased risk of cardiovascular diseases in a large representative sample of an Iranian population.
  
  
  METHODS
  Data of third national surveillance of risk factors of non-communicable diseases (SuRFNCD-2007) were used in this study. Sensitivity, specificity, and shortest distance on the receiver-operating characteristic (ROC) curves were used to determine gender-specific optimal cut-offs of BMI for cardiometabolic risk factors including elevated blood pressure, low high-density lipoprotein cholesterol, high triglycerides, high fasting plasma glucose and for ≥ 2 of the aforementioned risk factors.
  
  
  RESULTS
  There was a continuous increase in the prevalence of cardiometabolic risk factors with increasing BMI (p < 0.001). At the BMI of 25-29 kg/m(2) men were at higher risk of cardiovascular diseases compared to women (p < 0.001). The appropriate BMI cut-offs ranged from 24.6-26.1 kg/m(2) for men and from 26.9-28.8 kg/m(2) for women. The optimal BMI cut-offs for identifying any two or more of those risk factors were 25.2 and 27.3 kg/m(2) in men and women, respectively.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  In men the appropriate BMI cut-offs are ~25 kg/m(2), while in women higher BMI values are associated with risk of cardiovascular diseases.
authors.affiliation: Endocrinology and Metabolism Research Center (EMRC), Vali-Asr Hospital, School of Medicine, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran.
authors.forename: Ali
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Zandieh
authors.forename: Alireza
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Esteghamati
authors.forename: Afsaneh
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Morteza
authors.forename: Sina
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Noshad
authors.forename: Omid
authors.initials: O
authors.lastname: Khalilzadeh
authors.forename: Mohammad Mehdi
authors.initials: MM
authors.lastname: Gouya
authors.forename: Manouchehr
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Nakhjavani
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D001786:Blood Glucose; D001794:Blood Pressure; D001823:Body Composition; D050218:Body Fat Distribution; D015992:Body Mass Index; D002318:Cardiovascular Diseases / Q000453:epidemiology*; D008076:Cholesterol, HDL / Q000097:blood; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007492:Iran / Q000453:epidemiology; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009765:Obesity / Q000453:epidemiology; D015995:Prevalence; D012306:Risk; D012307:Risk Factors; D014280:Triglycerides / Q000097:blood; D049629:Waist-Hip Ratio
chemical_list: D001786:Blood Glucose; D008076:Cholesterol, HDL; D014280:Triglycerides