title: [Anthropometric measures of central abdominal fat and discriminant capacity for metabolic syndrome in a Spanish population].
abstract: BACKGROUND
  The metabolic syndrome (MS) carries an increased risk of cardiovascular disease and diabetes mellitus. Insulin resistance is probably the mechanism underlying the changes detected in lipid and carbohydrate metabolism in these patients, who have, as a common anthropometric feature, a predominantly increased abdominal fat distribution.
  
  
  METHODS
  A total of 3316 patients were studied, of whom 63.40% were female and 36.60 male, with a mean age of 42.36±14.63 years, and a body mass index (BMI) of 32.76±6.81kg/m(2). Weight, height and waist circumference (CC) were measured using standard techniques. The waist/height (ICA) was calculated using two indicators, expressed as waist in cm divided by height in m(2), and as waist divided by height, both in cm. The prevalence of metabolic syndrome in the sample was 33.70%. In order to assess the predictive ability of BMI, ICA and CC to detect the existence of MS, receiver operating curves (ROC) were constructed and the areas under the curve (AUC) calculated for each anthropometric parameter.
  
  
  RESULTS
  An AUC of 0.724 (95%CI: 0.706 to 0.742), P<.001, was obtained for CC, 0.709 (95%CI: 0.691 to 0.728), P<.001 for ICA with height in m(2), and 0.729 (95%CI: 0.711 to 0.747), P<.001 for ICA with height in cm, and for the BMI it was 0.680 (95%CI 0.661-0.699), P<.001.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Anthropometric indices that assess abdominal fat distribution have a better predictive capacity for detecting MS, compared to total adiposity indicators such as BMI.
authors.affiliation: Endocrinología y Nutrición, Complexo Hospitalario Universitario de Ferrol, Chuf, SERGAS, Ferrol, A Coruña, España. Electronic address: diegobellido@gmail.com.
authors.forename: Diego
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Bellido
authors.forename: Martín
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: López de la Torre
authors.forename: José
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Carreira
authors.forename: Daniel
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: de Luis
authors.forename: Virginia
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Bellido
authors.forename: Alfonso
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Soto
authors.forename: Luis M
authors.initials: LM
authors.lastname: Luengo
authors.forename: Antonio
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Hernández
authors.forename: Josep
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Vidal
authors.forename: Antonio
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Becerra
authors.forename: María
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Ballesteros
mesh_terms: D050153:Abdominal Fat; D000328:Adult; D000886:Anthropometry / Q000379:methods*; D001827:Body Height; D015992:Body Mass Index; D001835:Body Weight; D002318:Cardiovascular Diseases / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000209:etiology; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007333:Insulin Resistance; D008297:Male; D024821:Metabolic Syndrome / Q000150:complications / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000453:epidemiology; D008875:Middle Aged; D015995:Prevalence; D012372:ROC Curve; D012307:Risk Factors; D013030:Spain / Q000453:epidemiology; D055105:Waist Circumference
keywords: Abdominal fat; Anthropometry; Antropometría; Body mass index; Circunferencia de cintura; Grasa abdominal; Metabolic syndrome; Síndrome metabólico; Waist circumference; Waist-to-height ratio; Índice cintura/altura; Índice de masa corporal