J Korean Med Sci.  2011 Jul;26(7):906-913. 10.3346/jkms.2011.26.7.906.

Gender Differences in Diagnostic Values of Visceral Fat Area and Waist Circumference for Predicting Metabolic Syndrome in Koreans

• Kim HI
• Kim JT
• Yu SH
• Kwak SH
• Jang HC
• Park KS
• Kim SY
• Lee HK
• Cho YM

• KMID: 1094262
• DOI: http://doi.org/10.3346/jkms.2011.26.7.906

Abstract

Abdominal fat accumulation is known to be strongly implicated in development of metabolic syndrome (MetS). We examined diagnostic values of obesity-related parameters in 95 men and 185 women, and we determined optimal cutoff values of visceral fat area (VFA) and waist circumference (WC) for predicting the presence of multiple non-adipose components of MetS. Receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve analysis revealed that VFA was the best indicator of MetS. WC and VFA exhibited similar diagnostic values for men and postmenopausal women, whereas WC was inferior to VFA for premenopausal women (area under ROC curve of VFA and WC was 0.76 and 0.52, respectively; P < 0.001). Optimal cutoff points of VFA and WC for predicting MetS were 136 cm2 and 89 cm in men and 95 cm2 and 82 cm in women, respectively. Subjects with VFA and WC above these cutoff values exhibited increased insulin resistance and increased carotid intima-media thickness. In conclusion, WC has a diagnostic value similar to VFA for predicting MetS in men and postmenopausal women, but not in premenopausal women. Further studies are necessary to develop a simple clinical parameter that reflects visceral fat in premenopausal women.

Keyword

Metabolic Syndrome; Visceral Fat Area; Waist Circumference; ROC Curve Analysis

MeSH Terms

Adult
Aged
Aged, 80 and over
Female
Humans
Insulin Resistance
Intra-Abdominal Fat/*radiography
Male
Metabolic Syndrome X/*diagnosis/epidemiology
Middle Aged
Postmenopause
*Predictive Value of Tests
ROC Curve
Republic of Korea/epidemiology
Risk Factors
Sex Factors
*Waist Circumference

Figure

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  Fig. 1 Body mass index and waist circumference corresponding to the visceral fat area (VFA) cutoff values for men and women.

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  Fig. 2 Body mass index and waist circumference corresponding to the visceral fat area (VFA) cutoff values for pre- and post-menopausal women.

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  Fig. 3 Mean IMT and HOMA-IR according to the cutoff point of the visceral fat area (VFA) and waist circumference (WC) for men and women.

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  Fig. 4 Prevalence of metabolic syndrome according to the cutoff point of the visceral fat area (VFA) and waist circumference (WC) for men and women.

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