J Lipid Atheroscler.  2012 Dec;1(2):79-86. 10.12997/jla.2012.1.2.79.

The Association between Thigh Circumference and Lipids Profile in Korean Population: The Korea Medical Institute Study

• Jung KJ
• Lee GJ
• Jee SH

• KMID: 2198365
• DOI: http://doi.org/10.12997/jla.2012.1.2.79

Abstract

OBJECTIVE
We performed a study of the relationship between thigh circumference and serum lipids.
METHODS
A total of 314,842 Korean men and women aged 30 to 79 enrolled in the Korea Medical Institute for medical examination between February 2010 and December 2011 were included. Multiple logistic regression analysis was performed to examine the association of thigh circumference with various lipid profiles after adjustment for age, body mass index (BMI), waist circumference, smoking, and exercise.
RESULTS
The average age of study participants was 42.3 years (42.6 years in men and 41.9 years in women). The mean thigh circumference was 53.2 cm (54.3 cm in men and 51.5 cm in women). Thigh circumference was positively correlated with BMI and waist circumference in both men and women. Before adjusting for BMI and waist circumference, thigh circumference was also positively correlated with total cholesterol, triglyceride, high-density lipoprotein (HDL) cholesterol, non-HDL cholesterol, and triglyceride / HDL cholesterol ratio. However, after adjusting for those two variables, the positive correlations became almost disappeared and showed opposite direction indicating that BMI and waist circumference were qualitative confounding variables.
CONCLUSIONS
A small thigh circumference was associated with increasing levels of lipid profiles including triglyceride and decreasing level of HDL cholesterol. Through additional researches, establishment of causality is necessary.

Keyword

Thigh circumference; Lipids; Waist circumference; Body mass index

MeSH Terms

Aged
Body Mass Index
Cholesterol
Cholesterol, HDL
Female
Humans
Korea
Lipoproteins
Logistic Models
Male
Smoke
Smoking
Thigh
Waist Circumference
Cholesterol
Cholesterol, HDL
Lipoproteins
Smoke