HOME HELP FEEDBACK SUBSCRIPTIONS ARCHIVE SEARCH TABLE OF CONTENTS		QUICK SEARCH:   [advanced] Author: Keyword(s): Year:  Vol:  Page:

This Article Full Text Full Text (PDF) Purchase Article View Shopping Cart Alert me when this article is cited Alert me if a correction is posted Citation Map Services Similar articles in this journal Similar articles in PubMed Alert me to new issues of the journal Download to citation manager Citing Articles Citing Articles via HighWire Citing Articles via Google Scholar Google Scholar Articles by Wannamethee, S G. Articles by Whincup, P. H Search for Related Content PubMed PubMed Citation Articles by Wannamethee, S G. Articles by Whincup, P. H Agricola Articles by Wannamethee, S G. Articles by Whincup, P. H

Measures of adiposity in the identification of metabolic abnormalities in elderly men ^1,2,3,4

¹ From the Department of Primary Care and Population Sciences, Royal Free and University College Medical School, London, United Kingdom (SGW, AGS, and RWM), and the Department of Public Health Sciences, St George's Medical School Hospital, London, United Kingdom (PHW)

Background: Body mass index (BMI; in kg/m²) is considered a poor indicator of overall and abdominal obesity in the elderly.

Objectives: Our goal was to determine which simple anthropometric measurements [BMI, waist-to-hip ratio (WHR), waist circumference (WC), percentage body fat (%BF), or fat mass (FM)] are most closely associated with metabolic risk factors and insulin resistance in elderly men.

Design: This was a cross-sectional study of 2924 men aged 60–79 y with no history of coronary heart disease, stroke, or diabetes who were drawn from general practices in 24 British towns.

Results: BMI and WC were the measures most strongly associated with the metabolic syndrome (3 of the following: hypertension, low HDL cholesterol, high triacylglycerols, or high blood glucose) and insulin resistance. For a 1-SD increase in BMI, WC, WHR, %BF, and FM, the odds ratios (95% CIs) of having the metabolic syndrome after adjustment for age, socioeconomic status, smoking status, and physical activity were as follows: BMI, 1.61 (1.44, 1.79); WC, 1.65 (1.48, 1.81); WHR, 1.49 (1.34, 1.66); %BF, 1.41 (1.25, 1.59); and FM, 1.53 (1.38, 1.70). For insulin resistance, the odds ratios (95% CIs) were as follows: 2.48 (2.22, 2.77), 2.46 (2.19, 2.65), 1.75 (1.59, 1.93), 1.79 (1.60, 2.00), and 2.10 (1.88, 2.34), respectively. In normal-weight (BMI < 25) and overweight (BMI 25–29.9) men, the presence of the metabolic syndrome and insulin resistance increased with increasing WC; this did not occur in obese men.

Conclusions: BMI and WC are the simple measures of adiposity most strongly associated with metabolic abnormalities in elderly men. Our findings suggest that WC can be used as a complementary measurement to identify health risks in normal-weight and overweight elderly persons.

Key Words: BMI • waist circumference • percentage body fat • metabolic syndrome • insulin resistance

This article has been cited by other articles:

				A. D Stein, H. S Kahn, A. Rundle, P. A Zybert, K. van der Pal de Bruin, and L. Lumey Anthropometric measures in middle age after exposure to famine during gestation: evidence from the Dutch famine Am. J. Clinical Nutrition, March 1, 2007; 85(3): 869 - 876. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				S. E. Ramsay, P. H. Whincup, A. G. Shaper, and S. G. Wannamethee The Relations of Body Composition and Adiposity Measures to Ill Health and Physical Disability in Elderly Men Am. J. Epidemiol., September 1, 2006; 164(5): 459 - 469. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				H. S. Park, Y.-M. Song, and S.-I. Cho Obesity has a greater impact on cardiovascular mortality in younger men than in older men among non-smoking Koreans Int. J. Epidemiol., February 1, 2006; 35(1): 181 - 187. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				A. Esmaillzadeh, P. Mirmiran, and F. Azizi Metabolic abnormalities identified by anthropometric measures in elderly men Am. J. Clinical Nutrition, January 1, 2006; 83(1): 173 - 173. [Full Text] [PDF]