Association of waist circumference with risk of hypertension and type 2 diabetes in Nigerians, Jamaicans, and African-Americans.

Abstract

O B J E C T I V E -Prior studies have supported that waist circ u m f e rence correlates better with visceral adipose tissue and is a better predictor of cardiovascular disease than are BMI and waist-to-hip ratio. In this study, we reexamine the role of waist size on the risk of hypert e n s i o n and type 2 diabetes in African-origin populations from three contrasting enviro n m e n t s . RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS-A cross-sectional survey was conducted of 5,042 men and women 25-74 years of age from Nigeria, Jamaica, and the U.S. The re l a t i o nship between waist, blood pre s s u re, and fasting blood glucose was assessed using multiple linear re g ression analyses. Logistic re g ression analyses using sex-specific empirical waist cut-points were used to determine the risks of hypertension and type 2 diabetes. R E S U LT S -Waist circ u m f e rence was positively correlated with blood pre s s u re and fasting blood glucose (P 0 . 0 5 ). I n c reasing waist quartiles were significantly associated with higher risks of hypertension in the three populations, as estimated from age-adjusted odds ratios obtained from sex-specific logistic re g ression models. A highly elevated risk of type 2 diabetes-10-fold for Jamaican men and 23-fold for African-American women-was observed in the comparison of lowest to highest quartiles of waist circ u m f e re n c e C O N C L U S I O N S -Substantial reduction in hypertension and diabetes in men and women is achievable if the waist size is decreased in these populations. Intervention pro g r a m s designed to reduce waist circ u m f e rence through lifestyle modification, including exercise and diet, may have significant public health significance in reducing the incidence of hypert e n s i o n and adult-onset diabetes in these populations.

Association between indices of obesity and fasting hyperglycemia in Taiwan

“…9 Previous studies have consistently shown that obesity is associated with increased risks of diabetes. [10][11][12][13][14][15][16][17][18][19] The WHO defines obesity as a condition with excessive fat accumulation in the body to the extent that health and well-being are adversely affected. 20 Although there are many methods available to measure absolute total fat and adipose tissue distribution other than anthropometric measurements, their associated high cost prevents their use in large-scale epidemiological studies.…”

“…22 Waist-hip ratio (WHR) and waist circumference (WC) measure central fat deposition. 10,11 These anthropometric measurements have been shown to be associated with diabetes and cardiovascular diseases. [10][11][12][13][14][15][16][17][18][19] Available data on the relation-ships between obesity and adverse health outcomes are mostly from Europe and the United States.…”

“…10,11 These anthropometric measurements have been shown to be associated with diabetes and cardiovascular diseases. [10][11][12][13][14][15][16][17][18][19] Available data on the relation-ships between obesity and adverse health outcomes are mostly from Europe and the United States. [10][11][12][13][14] Few studies have examined the association of anthropometric indices of obesity with diabetes in populations of the Asian-pacific region.…”

“…[10][11][12][13][14][15][16][17][18][19] Available data on the relation-ships between obesity and adverse health outcomes are mostly from Europe and the United States. [10][11][12][13][14] Few studies have examined the association of anthropometric indices of obesity with diabetes in populations of the Asian-pacific region. [15][16][17][18] These studies have found that BMI, WC, and WHR are useful predictors of cardiovascular risk including hypertension, diabetes mellitus, and dyslipidemia.…”

Apolipoprotein B, ratio of total cholesterol to HDL-C, and blood pressure in abdominally obese white and black American women

“…Although a large body of epidemiologic evidence links abdominal obesity with increased risk of many cardiovascular diseases (CVD), [1][2][3][4][5][6][7][8] the mechanism for the association is not clear. Elevated total cholesterol and lipoproteins through atherogenic and thrombotic processes have been hypothesised in the association of abdominal adiposity with CVD.…”