Background: The use of anthropometric indices is one of the new and low-cost diagnostic methods of metabolic syndrome (MetS). The present study aimed to determine optimal cutoff points for the visceral adiposity index (VAI), body roundness index (BRI), and a body shape index (ABSI) in the prediction of MetS. Methods: This cross-sectional study was performed on 10,000 individuals aged from 35 to 65 years, recruited in Ravansar Non-Communicable Diseases (RaNCD) cohort study, in the west region of Iran, in 2019. MetS was defined according to International Diabetes Federation (IDF) criteria. The receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve analysis was used to assess predictive anthropometric indices and determine optimal cutoff values. Results: The optimal cutoff points for VAI were 4.11 (AUC: 0.82; 95% CI: 0.81-0.84) in men and 4.28 (AUC: 0.86; 95% CI: 0.85-0.87) in women to prediction of MetS. The optimal cutoff points for BRI were 4.75 (AUC: 0.75; 95% CI: 0.74-0.77) in men and 6.17 (AUC: 0.62; 95% CI: 0.61-0.64) in women to prediction of MetS. The optimal cutoff points for ABSI were 0.12 (AUC: 0.49; 95% CI: 0.47-0.51) in men and 0.13 (AUC: 0.49; 95% CI: 0.47-0.51) in women to prediction of MetS. The risk of MetS in men and women with a VAI higher than the optimal cutoff point was, respectively, 9.82 and 11.44 times higher than that in those with a VAI lower than the cutoff point. Conclusion: Although VAI might not be very cost-beneficial compared to IDF, our study showed VAI is a better predictor of MetS than BRI in adults. ABSI was not a suitable predictor for MetS.

Ramadan fasting may lead to both positive and negative health effects such as a decrease in FBS, weight, BFP, and increase in LDL and IR in healthy adults. However, these effects were all transitory.

Introduction Obesity is one of the main risk factors for cardiovascular disease (CVD) and cardiometabolic disease (CMD). Many studies have developed cutoff points of anthropometric indices for predicting these diseases. The aim of this systematic review was to differentiate the screening potential of body mass index (BMI), waist circumference (WC), and waist-to-hip ratio (WHR) for adult CVD risk. Methods We used relevant key words to search electronic databases to identify studies published up to 2019 that used receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curves for assessing the cut-off points of anthropometric indices. We used a random-effects model to pool study results and assessed between-study heterogeneity by using the I 2 statistic and Cochran’s Q test. Results This meta-analysis included 38 cross-sectional and 2 cohort studies with 105 to 137,256 participants aged 18 or older. The pooled area under the ROC curve (AUC) value for BMI was 0.66 (95% CI, 0.63–0.69) in both men and women. The pooled AUC values for WC were 0.69 (95% CI, 0.67–0.70) in men and 0.69 (95% CI, 0.64–0.74) in women, and the pooled AUC values for WHR were 0.69 (95% CI, 0.66–0.73) in men and 0.71 (95% CI, 0.68–0.73) in women. Conclusion Our findings indicated a slight difference between AUC values of these anthropometric indices. However, indices of abdominal obesity, especially WHR, can better predict CVD occurrence.

We aimed to examine associations between muscle strength and obesity and serum lipid profile in Ravansar Non-Communicable Disease (RaNCD) cohort study. This study was conducted on 6,455 subjects aged 35–65 years old from baseline data of RaNCD in Iran. The associations between grip strength and adiposity measurements were explored using linear regression with adjustment for age, height, smoking status, alcohol intake, social class, and prevalent disease. The mean of body mass index (BMI) and muscle strength was 27.2 ± 4.6 kg/m 2 and 33.3 ± 11.5, respectively. Muscular strength increased with increasing BMI and waist circumference (WC) in both sexes. Multivariate regression analysis revealed a 3.24 (95% confidence interval [CI], 2.29, 4.19) kg difference between BMI in top and bottom in men, and 1.71 (95% CI, 0.98, 2.34) kg/m 2 in women. After multivariable adjustment, a difference of 2.04 (95% CI, 1.12, 2.97) kg was observed between the top and bottom WC quartiles in men and 1.25 (95% CI, 0.51, 1.98) kg in women. In men, with increase of low-density lipoprotein and cholesterol, the mean muscle strength was significantly increased. Muscle strength may be associated with body composition and lipid profiles. Muscle strength can be an appropriate indicator for predicting some of the problems caused by body composition disorders, which requires further longitudinal studies.

Objectives Self-reporting can be used to determine the incidence and prevalence of hypertension (HTN). The present study was conducted to determine the validity of self-reported HTN and to identify factors affecting discordance between self-reported and objectively measured HTN in participants in the Ravansar Non-Communicable Diseases (RaNCD) cohort. Methods The RaNCD cohort included permanent residents of Ravansar, Iran aged 35-65 years. Self-reported data were collected before clinical examinations were conducted by well-trained staff members. The gold standard for HTN was anti-hypertensive medication use and blood pressure measurements. The sensitivity, specificity, positive and negative predictive values, and overall accuracy of self-reporting were calculated. Univariate and multivariate logistic regression were used to examine the discordance between self-reported HTN and the gold standard. Results Of the 10 065 participants in the RaNCD, 4755 (47.4%) were male. The prevalence of HTN was 16.8% based on self-reporting and 15.7% based on medical history and HTN measurements. Of the participants with HTN, 297 (18.8%) had no knowledge of their disease, and 313 (19.9%) had not properly controlled their HTN despite receiving treatment. The sensitivity, specificity, and kappa for self-reported HTN were 75.5%, 96.4%, and 73.4%, respectively. False positives became more likely with age, body mass index (BMI), low socioeconomic status, and female sex, whereas false negatives became more likely with age, BMI, high socioeconomic status, smoking, and urban residency. Conclusions The sensitivity and specificity of self-reported HTN were acceptable, suggesting that this method can be used for public health initiatives in the absence of countrywide HTN control and detection programs.