Waist-to-hip Ratio Categories Research Articles

Associations between health-related quality of life and measures of adiposity among Filipino adults.

ObjectiveEstimate associations between the health-related quality of life (HRQoL) and adiposity in a low-income population.MethodsIn a cluster random sample of 3796 Filipinos aged 40–70 years in Nueva Ecija province, we measured body mass index (BMI), waist circumference (WC), waist-to-hip ratio (WHR), and six dimensions of HRQoL using the 20-item Short Form Health Survey. We stratified by sex and used nonparametric regression to graph mean HRQoL in each dimension by BMI, WC, and WHR. We used ordinary least squares regression to estimate differences in each HRQoL dimension by categories of BMI, WC, and WHR adjusted for sociodemographic characteristics and smoking.ResultsMean HRQoL was lowest for health perception (Males: 67.5 (SD = 15.9); Females: 66.7 (15.8)) and highest for role functioning (Males: 97.5 (12.9); Females: 97.4 (13.3)). Mean (SD) values of BMI, WC, and WHR were 22.1 (3.6), 84.8 cm (9.5), and 0.9 (0.1), respectively for males, and 23.7 (4.2), 86.5 cm (10.2), and 0.9 (0.1), respectively, for females. There was no evidence that higher BMI was associated with lower HRQoL. Adjusted mean social functioning was 4.92 (p = 0.076) higher for males with high BMI risk (8.6% prevalence) compared with acceptable BMI risk (50.3%). Mean social functioning was 3.61 (p = 0.012) and 5.48 (p = 0.017) lower for females with high WC (44.7%) and WHR (83.1%), respectively, compared with those with low WC (23.8%) and WHR (3.6%). Mean physical functioning was lower by 2.70 (p = 0.204) and 1.07 (p = 0.198) for males and females, respectively, with high compared with low WC. Mean physical functioning was 3.93 (p = 0.037) lower for males with high (7.6%) compared with low (38.8%) WHR. Mean role functioning was 1.09 (p = 0.124) and 2.46 (p = 0.158) lower for males with borderline and high WHR, respectively.ConclusionsThere is discordance between future adiposity-related health risk and current experience of HRQoL.

Central adiposity at diagnosis may reduce prostate cancer-specific mortality in African-Caribbean men with prostate cancer: 10-year follow-up of participants in a case-control study.

General and central adiposity are associated with the risk of developing prostate cancer (PCa), but the role of these exposures on PCa survival among men of African ancestry are less studied. This study aimed to investigate the association of anthropometry at diagnosis with all-cause and PCa-specific mortality and evaluate whether androgen deprivation therapy (ADT) modulated this risk. Associations between body mass index (BMI), waist circumference (WC), and waist-to-hip ratio (WHR) at diagnosis and mortality were examined in 242 men with newly diagnosed PCa enrolled between 2005 and 2007 and re-evaluated 10.9years later. Multi-variable Cox proportional hazard models were used to examine associations of body size variables (using standard WHO cut-points and as continuous variables) with mortality, adjusted for sociodemographic characteristics, Gleason score, smoking, diabetes, primary treatment, and ADT therapy. A total of 139 deaths (all-cause mortality 6.98/100 person-years) occurred (PCa-specific deaths, 56; other causes, 66; causes unknown, 17). In multi-variable analysis BMI, WC and WHR categories at diagnosis were not associated with all-cause mortality even after adjusting for ADT. While WHR (but not BMI or WC) when included as a continuous variable predicted lower PCa-specific mortality (multi-variable adjusted WHR per 0.1 difference: HR, 0.50; 95%CI 0.28, 0.93), the effect disappeared with ADT covariance and excluding deaths within the first 2years. Our study suggests that central adiposity as measured by WHR may improve long-term survival among men of African ancestry. Metabolic studies to understand the mechanism for this association are needed.

Konsumsi zat gizi dan parameter lemak tubuh pada wanita umur lebih dari 40 tahun

Food intake and body fat parameter among women older than 40 years old in DenpasarBackground: The prevalence of obesity in Indonesia tends to increase, particularly among women older than 40 years old.Objective: This study aimed to identify the associations between nutrient consumption and parameters of body fat among women in Denpasar.Methods: This was an observational analytic study with a cross-sectional approach. The population was women aged older than 40 years old in Denpasar with sampled population were members Dharma Wanita PDAM Kota Denpasar. Eighty out of 200 women were selected through systematic random sampling method. Variables collected in this study included women’s characteristics, nutrient consumption, and body fat parameters: body mass index (BMI), waist circumference (WC), and waist to hip ratio (WHR). Analysis of the relationship between nutrient consumption and body fat parameters using the Spearman Rank correlation.Results: This study found that the majority aged 41-50 years (83.8%), were Balinese (95.0%), have married (98.8%), did not use contraception (65.0%), completed higher education (63.8%), worked in informal sector (60.0%), had low income (65.0%), had no history of obesity (80.0%) and no family with degenerative diseases (73.8%). Based on the body fat parameters, most of the women were obese based on BMI (52.5%), WC (70.0%), and WHR (57.5%) categories. There was a significant association between fiber consumption and waist circumference (p=0.021).Conclusions: There was an association between fiber consumption and waist circumference, thus having a balanced and varied diet is recommended to prevent obesity and reduce risk factors for degenerative diseases.

Association of Hematological Parameters with Obesity- Induced Inflammation Among Young Females in Ahvaz, South-West of Iran.

Background:Iron deficiency is prevalent in overweight and obese individuals and may be induced by adiposity-related inflammation that affect iron metabolism.Objective:The objective of this study was to investigate the relationship between hematological parameters and obesity-induced inflammation among young females.Methods:A total of 170 young women (aged between 18-35 years) participated in this cross-sectional study. Obesity was assessed by BMI (body mass index), WHR (waist to hip ratio), and body fat percentage. Inflammatory and hematological parameters including hs-CRP (high-sensitivity C-reactive protein), serum Fe, hemoglobin, ferritin, transferrin, TIBC (total iron binding capacity) were measured. Dietary intakes of some nutrients (total iron, proteins, calcium, and vitamin C) were assessed according to BMI, WHR and fat mass categories.Results:Serum iron were negatively correlated with BMI (P = 0.045, r = −0.154) and hs-CRP (P = 0.032, r = −0.165). Hemoglobin were also negatively correlated with BMI (P = 0.043, r = −0.155). A significant correlation was also shown between WHR with transferrin (P = 0.034, r = 0.163) and TIBC levels (P = 0.035, r = 0.162), hs-CRP was positively correlated with BMI (P = 0.014, r = 0.183), WHR (P = 0.009, r = 0.202) and body fat percentage (P = 0.037, r = 0.353). Dietary intakes did not differ significantly among BMI, WHR and fat mass categories (P > 0.05).Conclusions:Obesity-induced inflammation, regardless of dietary intake of iron, can lead to iron deficiency. Therefore, weight control, especially in obese subjects is necessary to prevent iron deficiency and anemia.

Assessment of Abdominal Obesity using 3D Body Scanning Technology

Abdominal obesity is an important contributor for health risk factors such as hypertension, diabetes mellitus and hypercholesterolemia. Therefore, the application of a proper method is important prerequisite in performing abdominal obesity assessment. In this study, we applied 3D body scanning technology to measure waist circumference (WC), hip circumference (HC) and waist to hip ratio (WHR) precisely in an effort to improve the current health assessment for abdominal obesity. A total of 200 Malaysian women with sedentary lifestyle, aged between 18 and 60 years participated in this study. Paired t-test was used to determine the differences between the automated (3D body scanner) and manual measurements of WC, HC and WHR. 3D body scanner measurements show that 27% of subjects had mild abdominal obesity (80 - 90 cm) and 34.5% of subjects had severe abdominal obesity (≥90 cm) based on WC cutoff points. Based on WHR cutoff points, 57% of subjects had abdominal obesity (≥0.85) while the remaining were without abdominal obesity (<0.85). Lower percentages of abdominal obesity prevalence were reported for both WC and WHR categories using manual measurements. We also found that in normal BMI category, 8.5% of subjects have mild abdominal obesity based on automated measurements while only 5.5% of subjects were identified on manual measurements. The result of this study indicated that 3D body scanner provided better assessment method as it enables detection of abdominal obesity in more subjects based on WC and WHR categories. Public agencies are encouraged to consider the application of 3D body scanning in health assessment of abdominal obesity.

Abdominal Obesity and Lung Cancer Risk: Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis of Prospective Studies.

Several meta-analyses of observational studies have been performed to examine the association between general obesity, as measured by body mass index (BMI), and lung cancer. These meta-analyses suggest an inverse relation between high BMI and this cancer. In contrast to general obesity, abdominal obesity appears to play a role in the development of lung cancer. However, the association between abdominal obesity (as measured by waist circumference (WC) (BMI adjusted) and waist to hip ratio (WHR)) and lung cancer is not fully understood due to sparse available evidence regarding this association. PubMed and Web of Science databases were searched for studies assessing the association between abdominal obesity and lung cancer up to October 2016. The summary relative risks (RRs) with 95% confidence intervals (CIs) were calculated with a random-effects model. Six prospective cohort studies with 5827 lung cancer cases among 831,535 participants were included in our meta-analysis. Each 10 cm increase in WC and 0.1 unit increase in WHR were associated with 10% (RR 1.10; 95% CI 1.04, 1.17; I2 = 27.7%, p-heterogeneity = 0.198) and 5% (RR 1.05; 95% CI 1.00, 1.11; I2 = 25.2%, p-heterogeneity = 0.211) greater risks of lung cancer, respectively. According to smoking status, greater WHR was only positively associated with lung cancer among former smokers (RR 1.11; 95% CI 1.00, 1.23). In contrast, greater WC was associated with increased lung cancer risk among never smokers (RR 1.11; 95% CI 1.00, 1.23), former smokers (RR 1.12; 95% CI 1.03, 1.22) and current smokers (RR 1.16; 95% CI 1.08, 1.25). The summary RRs for highest versus lowest categories of WC and WHR were 1.32 (95% CI 1.13, 1.54; I2 = 18.2%, p-heterogeneity = 0.281) and 1.10 (95% CI 1.00, 1.23; I2 = 24.2%, p-heterogeneity = 0.211), respectively. In summary, abdominal obesity may play an important role in the development of lung cancer.

Body adiposity index and incident hypertension: The Aerobics Center Longitudinal Study

Background and aimThe body adiposity index (BAI) has been recently proposed as a new method to estimate the percentage of body fat. The association between BAI and hypertension risk has not been investigated yet. The aim of our study was to evaluate the ability of BAI to predict hypertension in males and females compared with traditional body adiposity measures. Methods and resultsThe present follow-up analysis comprised 10,309 individuals (2259 females) free of hypertension from the Aerobics Center Longitudinal Study, who completed a baseline examination between 1988 and 2003. Body adiposity measures included BAI, body mass index (BMI), waist circumference, hip circumference, percentage of body fat and waist to hip ratio (WHR). Incident hypertension was ascertained from responses to mail-back surveys between 1990 and 2004. During an average of 9.1 years of follow-up, 872 subjects (107 females) became hypertensive. Hazard ratios (HRs) and 95% confidence intervals (95% CI) showed that males in the highest categories of all body adiposity measures showed a higher incident risk of hypertension (HRs ranged from 1.37 to 2.09). Females showed a higher incident risk of hypertension only in the highest categories of BAI, BMI and WHR (HRs ranged from 1.84 to 3.36). ConclusionOur results suggest that in order to predict incident hypertension BAI could be considered as an alternative to traditional body adiposity measures.

Anthropometric characteristics and risk of lymphoid and myeloid leukemia in the European Prospective Investigation into Cancer and Nutrition (EPIC)

Overweight and obesity have been suggested as a risk factor for leukemia. Impaired immune function associated with obesity, increased insulin-like growth factor-I activity and stimulating effects of leptin suggest a possible biological link between anthropometric measures and leukemia. However, evidence from epidemiological studies has been inconsistent. We examined the potential association between prospective measurements of body size and risk of leukemia among participants of the European Prospective Investigation into Cancer and Nutrition (EPIC). During follow-up (mean=11.52years, standard deviation=2.63), 671 leukemia (lymphoid leukemia=50.1%, myeloid leukemia=43.2%) cases were identified. Anthropometric measures including weight, height, body mass index (BMI), waist circumference (WC), hip circumference, and waist-to-hip ratio (WHR) were measured. Cox proportional hazard models were used to explore the association between anthropometric measures and risk of leukemia. No associations were observed between anthropometric measures and total leukemia, and lymphoid leukemia. Risk of myeloid leukemia significantly increased for higher categories of BMI and WC among women. Analyses by subtype of myeloid leukemia showed an increased risk of acute myeloid leukemia (AML) for higher categories of WHR among women. This association seemed to be reversed for chronic myeloid leukemia. No association between anthropometric measures and myeloid leukemia were observed among men except an increased risk of AML with height. The study showed no associations between anthropometric measures and total leukemia, and lymphoid leukemia among men and women. A possible association between BMI as general obesity and WC as abdominal obesity and increased risk of myeloid leukemia among women were observed.

Men’s Exposure to Women’s Odors: The Effect of Women’s Waist to Hip Ratio and Steroid Hormones

Previous research has shown that axillar and vaginal odors from ovulating women are recognized by men, but no research has been done exploring whether body odors signal other physical attributes of women such as waist-to-hip ratio (WHR) or endocrine status. Our goal was to investigate whether testosterone increased in men after smelling axillary odors of women with different WHR and with low or high levels of steroid hormones. We measured men’s testosterone before and after 30 min of being exposed to fresh axillar odors collected from young women or a neutral odor as control situation. Men had to rate the attractiveness and intensity of the scent. We compared the response of men according to women’s WHR and salivary testosterone, estradiol and progesterone. Although the main literature commonly reports that men judge a WHR around 0.7 to be more visually attractive, our results showed that men rated samples of high WHR (0.75-0.84) and high estradiol women as more attractive. In addition, men’s testosterone increased after smelling the odors of high WHR, high estradiol and high testosterone women. High WHR women exhibited the highest testosterone and estradiol levels compared to the other WHR categories (0.66-0.74). We concluded that scents are cues that not only signal fertility but also physical attributes related to reproductive health.

The role of body fat in female attractiveness

The purpose of the present study was to investigate the role of body fat percentage (BF%) on female attractiveness. To this end, a series of female body images were selected from a collection of dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry scans. Images were stratified by three levels (low, mid, and high) of waist-to-hip ratio (WHR) and seven levels (15%–50%) of BF%. These 21 images were presented in a random order and rated for attractiveness. Results indicate that WHR, BMI, and BF% are all significant predictors of female attractiveness when regressed separately (R2=0.19, 0.70, and 0.76, respectively). When regressed simultaneously, all three variables accounted for 87% of the variance in image attractiveness, with only BF% and WHR being significant predictors. Further analysis revealed that body fat might disrupt the negative linear relationship between WHR and attractiveness. Men and women differed significantly in most categories of WHR and BF%, with men generally rating images as less attractive than women. These data indicate that BF% appears to be a strong cue for attractiveness and that the impact of WHR and BMI on attractiveness is dependent, in part, on BF%. The appearance of body fat may provide disruption in the visual cues of both shape and size of the female body, potentially impacting behavior.

Impact of Body Mass Index and Waist-to-Hip Ratio on Clinical Outcomes in Patients With ST-Segment Elevation Acute Myocardial Infarction (from the Korean Acute Myocardial Infarction Registry)

The relation between body mass index (BMI) and waist-to-hip ratio (WHR) to clinical outcomes in patients with ST-segment elevation acute myocardial infarction (MI) has not been well described. As part of the Korean Acute MI Registry, we enrolled 3,734 eligible patients who were diagnosed with ST-segment elevation acute MI. The study population was categorized by BMI (into 4 groups according to the World Health Organization classification for the Asian population) and WHR (into 2 sets of 4 groups, 1 set for men and another for women, based on the INTERHEART study). Baseline characteristics and clinical outcomes were analyzed and compared among the BMI and WHR categories. Mean follow-up duration was 199 +/- 37 days. In the BMI category, underweight versus obese patients were older, were more likely to present with heart failure, and underwent guideline-based treatments less frequently. In the WHR category, the reverse trends were apparent for the latter factors except treatment-use frequencies. The highest mortality rate was observed in patients with the lowest BMI and the highest WHR. In an adjusted model, the highest WHR (hazard ratio 5.57, 95% confidence interval 1.53 to 12.29, p = 0.009) and the underweight (hazard ratio 2.88, 95% confidence interval 1.17 to 6.08, p = 0.021) categories within the 2 anthropometric indexes remained as mortality risk factors. In conclusion, the relation between obesity and prognosis after ST-segment elevation acute MI appears complex and should be further assessed in larger population-based cohort studies to determine the associations apparent in this study.

Abdominal Obesity and Expression of Familial Combined Hyperlipidemia

To investigate the role of abdominal and body obesity on the prevalence of hyperlipidemia, in particular, hypertriglyceridemia, hypercholesterolemia, and high apolipoprotein B levels, in familial combined hyperlipidemia (FCHL) relatives and their spouses. In FCHL relatives (n = 618) and spouses (n = 297), prevalence data of hyperlipidemia and high apolipoprotein B levels and their age and gender-corrected odds ratios (ORs) were calculated for sex-adjusted categories of waist-to-hip ratio (WHR), waist circumference, and BMI. Increments of BMI, waist circumference, and WHR increased the frequency of hyperlipidemia. In the whole study population (relatives and spouses combined), frequency of hypertriglyceridemia showed a significant interaction only between WHR categories and FCHL. This was studied further after stratification of relatives by multivariable logistic regression analyses corrected for age and gender. Predominant expression of hypertriglyceridemia was observed with higher categories of WHR in FCHL relatives (prevalence up to 57.6%, OR 8.48 in highest vs. lowest WHR category, p < 0.001) but not in spouses (up to 32.9%, OR 1.05 in highest vs. lowest WHR category, not significant). Both in spouses and FCHL relatives, increments in BMI and waist circumference increased the prevalence of hyperlipidemia. Specifically, in FCHL relatives, WHR was the most informative determinant of the expression of hyperlipidemia, in particular, hypertriglyceridemia. The data indicate that FCHL develops against a background of abdominal obesity.

Relationships between indices of obesity and its co-morbidities in multi-ethnic Singapore.

To investigate the effect of body mass index (BMI) and body fat distribution as measured by waist-to-hip ratio (WHR) on the cardiovascular risk factor profile of the three major ethnic groups in Singapore (Chinese, Malay and Indian people) and to determine if WHO recommended cut-off values for BMI and WHR are appropriate for the different sub-populations in Singapore. Cross-sectional population study. A total of 4723 adult subjects (64% Chinese individuals, 21% Malay individuals and 15% Indian individuals) were selected through a multi-staged sampling technique to take part in the National Health Survey in 1998. Data on socio-economic status (education level, occupation, housing type) and lifestyle habits (smoking and physical activity), body weight, body height, waist and hip circumferences and blood pressure measured using standardised protocols. Fasting venous blood samples were obtained for determination of serum total cholesterol (TC), high density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL), low density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL), triglycerides (TG). Venous blood samples were taken for 2 h oral glucose tolerance test (2 h glu). Absolute and relative risks for at least one cardiovascular risk factor (elevated TC, elevated TC/HDL ratio, elevated TG, hypertension and diabetes mellitus) were determined for various categories of BMI and WHR. At low categories of BMI (BMI between 22 and 24 kg/m(2)) and WHR (WHR between 0.80 and 0.85 for women, and between 0.90 and 0.95 for men), the absolute risks are high, ranging from 41 to 81%. At these same categories the relative risks are significantly higher compared to the reference category, ranging from odds ratio of 1.97 to 4.38. These categories of BMI and WHR are all below the cut-off values of BMI and WHR recommended by WHO. The results show that, at relatively low BMI and WHR, Singaporean adults experience elevated levels of risks (absolute and relative) for cardiovascular risk factors. These findings, in addition to earlier reported high percentage body fat among Singaporeans at low levels of BMI, confirm the need to revise the WHO cut-off values for the various indices of obesity and fat distribution, viz BMI and WHR, in Singapore.

Nutritional Need Assessment of Member Families of a Family Helper Project with Women as Indicators of Household Nutrition

In developing countries programmes have been designed both by government and voluntary agencies for the upliftment of poverty with a view to improve the nutrition and health of the house-hold. Kiriya Pushpa is one such centre which has designed such programmes and is helping a total of 900 families under the scheme of family helper project In order to make the programme more specific. a nutritional need assessment was earned out among the member families by measuring the somatic and dietary status of women as indicators of family nutrition. The somatic and dietary status of women re preventing 500 households indicated a overall normal body size mean (BMIJ of 22 with lower mid upper arm muscle circumference (MUMAC - 90 - 70%) and increased waist to hip ratio (WHR) indicating obesity in 97 per cent of women. Men were found to be indulging in smoking and alcoholism excessively. Frequency of food use and food expeoliture pattern reflected lack of diversity in the food intake dietaries being predominantly cereals with low amount, of other foods Nutrient intake was deficient in energy and all other nutrients, irrespective of WHR categories, low ever. anthropometric measurements except for height howed an increasing trend with age gradient particularly in WHR It is probable that increased WHR may be a cumulative effect of long term malnutrition. The most pressing need is to design income generating, education and training programmes keeping in view the target groups-adolescent girl boys and men to improve household nutrition.