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

• Published in: Journal of Korean medical science Vol. 26; no. 7; pp. 906 - 913
• Main Authors: Kim, Hong Il, Kim, Jin Taek, Yu, Sung Hoon, Kwak, Soo Heon, Jang, Hak Chul, Park, Kyong Soo, Kim, Seong Yeon, Lee, Hong Kyu, Cho, Young Min
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Korea (South) The Korean Academy of Medical Sciences 01.07.2011; 대한의학회
• Subjects: Adult; Aged; Aged, 80 and over; Female; Humans; Insulin Resistance; Intra-Abdominal Fat - diagnostic imaging; Male; Metabolic Syndrome - diagnosis; Metabolic Syndrome - epidemiology; Middle Aged; Original; Postmenopause; Predictive Value of Tests; Radiography; Republic of Korea - epidemiology; Risk Factors; ROC Curve; Sex Factors; Waist Circumference; 의학일반; ROC Curve Analysis; Visceral Fat Area; Waist Circumference; Metabolic Syndrome
• ISSN: 1011-8934; 1598-6357; 1598-6357
• DOI: 10.3346/jkms.2011.26.7.906

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 cm(2) and 89 cm in men and 95 cm(2) 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.