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Waist-to-height ratio trumped BMI as screening tool for cardiometabolic risk
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Researchers from the United Kingdom suggested that waist-to-height-ratio is a better screening tool for cardiometabolic risk factors compared with waist circumference and BMI, according to data presented at the 19th European Congress on Obesity Meeting in Lyon, France.
Margaret Ashwell, OBE, PhD, of Ashwell Associates at Hertfordshire and Oxford Brookes University, and Sigrid Gibson, RPHNutr, of Sig-Nurture Ltd., conducted a systematic review and meta-analysis of studies that analyzed anthropometric models that categorized 300,000 adults in several ethnic groups with hypertension, type 2 diabetes, dyslipidaemia, metabolic syndrome and general cardiovascular outcomes.
Data from all outcomes demonstrated that the waist-to-height-ratio (WHtR) study group had greater bias compared with BMI. In addition, weight circumference improved discrimination of adverse outcomes by 3% (P<.05), and WHtR improved by 4% to 5% (P<.01). Moreover, WHtR appeared to be a significantly better screen tool than weight circumference for diabetes, hypertension, CVD and all outcomes (P<.005) in men and women.
The findings suggest that WHtR is superior to weight circumference and BMI for recognizing cardiometabolic risk factors in men and women, Ashwell and Gibson said.
“Keeping your waist circumference to less than half your height can help increase life expectancy for every person in the world,” Ashwell said.
For more information:
- Ashwell M. #OS3.3. Presented at: the 19th European Congress on Obesity Meeting 2012; May 9-12; Lyon, France.
Disclosure: The researchers report no relevant financial disclosures. Dr. Ashwell devised and copyrighted the Ashwell shape chart, which is distributed to health professionals on a nonprofit-making basis.