Survey of Relationship between Measurement of Abdominal Circumference and Metabolic Syndrome on New Health Check in University

Abstract

In April 2008, a system of special health checks and health guidance was initiated with the aim of identifying people with metabolic syndrome (visceral fat syndrome) and pre-metabolic syndrome. In this study, we investigated the relationship between health check results and abdominal circumference in 632 university faculty members. The standard value for abdominal circumference in women (> or =90) is set higher than that for men (> or =85). When this standard value is used, only 7.4% of women may be able to receive special health guidance. In the future, a follow-up survey of female subjects focusing on the difference in the standard value and an evaluation of its relationship with lifestyle-related diseases will probably be necessary. In the present study, significant positive correlations were seen between abdominal circumference and GPT and gamma-GTP, which are related to hepatic function, and between abdominal circumference and uric acid levels in males. These results indicate the possibility that abdominal circumference is related to alcohol intake. In addition, white blood cell count, red blood cell count, hemoglobin level, and hematocrit level were significantly higher in subjects with large abdominal circumference, and there were differences in hematopoietic function. There have been virtually no studies on the relationship between visceral fat and hepatic and hematopoietic functions, and a follow-up study of the present subjects in the future may shed new light on risk factors for various diseases with abdominal circumference as an indicator.