Age variations in adiposity and body fat composition among older Bengalee Hindu women of Calcutta, India

A cross-sectional study of 279 older (50+ years) urban Bengalee Hindu women was undertaken to study age variations in adiposity, body composition, obesity and central fat distribution. The women were divided into three groups: Group I (G I, 50-59 years), Group II (G II, 60-69 years) and Group III (G III, 70+ years). A significant decreasing age trend was observed in adiposity and body fat composition measures. Women in G I had significantly higher means compared with those in G III. Individuals in G II had intermediate values. However, there was no significant age trend in muscle measures and indices of central body fat distribution. The results revealed that significantly more women in G III (45.8%) were malnourished (BMI < 18.5), while significantly more women in G I (28.7%) were obese (BMI > or = 25). The levels of malnourishment (21.6%) and obesity (24.5%) in G II were intermediate between G I and G III. Age had significant negative correlations with measures of adiposity and body fat composition. Regression analysis revealed that age had significant negative effect on these anthropometric measures. This significant negative impact of age remained even after controlling for the effect of BMI. In conclusion, the present investigation revealed that among older Bengalee Hindu women, there is a significant inverse age trend in adiposity and body fat composition, which is independent of overall adiposity (BMI). However, with ageing, muscle and central body fat distribution remain the same. Furthermore, with increasing age, there is a trend of increasing levels of malnourishment and decreasing levels of obesity.     

Ecogeographical associations between climate and human body composition: analyses based on anthropometry and skinfolds

In the 19th century, two "ecogeographical rules" were proposed hypothesizing associations of climate with mammalian body size and proportions. Data on human body weight and relative leg length support these rules; however, it is unknown whether such associations are attributable to lean tissue (the heat-producing component) or fat (energy stores). Data on weight, height, and two skinfold thickness were obtained from the literature for 137 nonindustrialized populations, providing 145 male and 115 female individual samples. A variety of indices of adiposity and lean mass were analyzed. Preliminary analyses indicated secular increases in skinfolds in men but not women, and associations of age and height with lean mass in both sexes. Decreasing annual temperature was associated with increasing body mass index (BMI), and increasing triceps but not subscapular skinfold. After adjusting for skinfolds, decreasing temperature remained associated with increasing BMI. These results indicate that colder environments favor both greater peripheral energy stores, and greater lean mass. Contrasting results for triceps and subscapular skinfolds might be due to adaptive strategies either constraining central adiposity in cold environments to reduce cardiovascular risk, or favoring central adiposity in warmer environments to maintain energetic support of the immune system. Polynesian populations were analyzed separately and contradicted all of the climate trends, indicating support for the hypothesis that they are cold-adapted despite occupying a tropical region. It is unclear whether such associations emerge through natural selection or through trans-generational and life-course plasticity. These findings nevertheless aid understanding of the wide variability in human physique and adiposity.     

Truncal and Abdominal Fat as Determinants of High Triglycerides and Low HDL‐cholesterol in Adolescents

We examined whether abdominal and truncal adiposity, assessed with simple anthropometric indices, determines serum triglycerides and high‐density lipoprotein (HDL)–cholesterol levels independently of total adiposity amount in adolescents. A total of 547 Spanish adolescents (284 males and 263 females) aged 13–18.5 years were included in this study. Measures of truncal adiposity included subscapular to triceps ratio, and trunk‐to‐total skinfolds ratio (TTS%). Waist circumference was used as a surrogate of abdominal adiposity, and BMI was used as a measure of total adiposity. The results of the regression models indicated that levels of triglycerides were positively associated with waist circumference and TTS% after controlling for age and Tanner stage in both sexes. Once BMI was entered in the model, these associations remained significant for waist circumference in females. HDL‐cholesterol levels were negatively associated with waist circumference in both sexes, and with subscapular to triceps ratio and TTS% in males, after controlling for age and Tanner stage. Once BMI was entered in the model, these associations remained significant for subscapular to triceps ratio and for TTS% in males. The results of this study suggest that in male adolescents, truncal adiposity is negatively associated with levels of HDL‐cholesterol, whereas in females, abdominal adiposity is positively associated with levels of triglycerides independently of total adiposity. These findings highlight the deleterious effect of both truncal and abdominal fat depots on the lipid profile already from the first decades of life.     

Presence of high rates of overweight and obesity among adult Marwaris of Howrah, West Bengal, India

A cross-sectional study of 220 (110 men and 110 women) adult (> 20 years) Marwaris of Howrah, West Bengal, India, was undertaken to investigate the frequency of overweight and obesity, using different criteria. Results revealed that men had significantly greater mean height, weight, waist circumference (WC), waist-hip ratio (WHR), conicity index (CI) and fat free mass (FFM), compared with women. Women had significantly higher mean body mass index (BMI), biceps (BSF) and triceps (TSF) skinfolds, mid-upper arm (MUAC) and hip (HC) circumferences, percent body fat (PBF), fat mass index (FMI), mid-arm fat area (MAFA) and PBF/BMI ratio compared with men. The frequency of overweight (BMI > or = 25.0) was significantly higher among women (71.8%) compared with men (44.5%). Similarly, significantly more women (41.8%) had high WHR than men (22.7%). Significantly more women also had high PBF (97.3%) compared with men (90.9%). In conclusion, these results demonstrated that the level of overall and central adiposity, as well as body fat, was found to be high among Marwaris, as compared with other ethnic populations of India. Moreover, there existed significant sexual dimorphism in these measures among this ethnic group. This high level of overall and central adiposity and body fat could have severe adverse health implications in this ethnic group.     

Subcutaneous adiposity and relative fat patterning in adult white and migrant asian males in Britain

A comparative study of subcutaneous adiposity and relative fat patterning in adult White (n=262) and migrant Indian (n=39) and Pakistani (n=100) males living in Peterborough, Cambridgeshire revealed no significant difference in the level of generalised adiposity (measured as body mass index) between the ethnic groups. However, Asians had significantly higher means for all five truncal skinfolds; for all upper body: upper extremity, upper body: lower extremity, central body: upper extremity and central body: lower extremity skinfold rations; more total subcutaneous adiposity; and significantly more subcutaneous fat in subscapular, suprailiac and abdomen regions relative to total subcutaneous fat. However, Asian men had significantly less subcutaneous fat in all the extremity sites relative to total subcutaneous adiposity and lower mean forearm subcutaneous adiposity. Discriminant analysis revealed that 80.6% of all individuals were correctly classfied, with Whites being grouped more correctly than Asians. Suprailiac/forearm and suprailiac/triceps skinfold ratios, height, weight, age, body mass index, and subscapular, midauxillary, chest and medial calf skinfolds were among the most important discriminating variables/ratios of the three ethnic groups.     

Sodium-lithium countertransport and body fat distribution.

The relationship between erythrocyte sodium-lithium countertransport (Na-Li CT) and body fat distribution is analyzed in a sample (n = 101) of normotensive and untreated hypertensive men participating in an epidemiological study of coronary heart disease risk factors. Na-Li CT is significantly and positively associated with both subscapular skinfold and waist to hip ratio, but not with triceps skinfold. The univariate correlation between Na-Li CT and blood pressure is diminished when adjusted for body mass index and waist to hip ratio. These findings support the existence of an association between Na-Li CT and central body fat distribution and suggest that the metabolic abnormalities associated with centrally distributed body fat could explain, at least in part, the association between Na-Li CT and blood pressure. The maximal velocity of the sodium-lithium countertransport (Na-Li CT) in erythrocytes has been reported to be directly associated with blood pressure and hypertension in numerous reports from both clinical and epidemiological studies. In most of these studies, indices of weight and/or adiposity (body mass index, in particular) have been shown to be among the most important correlates of Na-Li CT. Adiposity is an important determinant of blood pressure, and there is evidence suggesting that the patterning of the fat cells in the body is linked to a number of metabolic disturbances that could lead to hypertension and an increase in other CHD risk factors. The present report analyses the relationship between Na-Li CT and body fat distribution in a sample of normotensive and untreated hypertensive men participating in an epidemiological study.     

Adiposity,central body fat distribution and blood pressure among young Bengalee adults of Kolkata,India: sexual dimorphism

A cross-sectional study of 174 men and 153 women of Bengalee ethnicity was undertaken to compare levels of adiposity, central body fat distribution and blood pressure. The mean age of both the sexes were similar (men = 20.1 years; women = 20.0 years). Significantly more women (n = 42, 27.5%) were overweight (body mass index, BMI > or = 25.0 kg/m2) as compared with men (19, 10.9%). Men were significantly taller and heavier. They also had significantly greater mean waist (WC) and mid upper arm (MUAC) circumferences compared with women. On the other hand, women had significantly (p < 0.001) greater mean BMI, biceps (BSF), triceps (TSF) and subscapular (SSF) skinfolds. The mean values of systolic (SBP), diastolic (DBP) and mean arterial (MAP) blood pressure were significantly greater among men. These significant differences existed even after controlling for BMI. Regression analyses revealed that sex had significant effect on all these variables even after controlling for BMI. Correlation studies showed that WC was found to be much more strongly correlated than BMI with SBP, DBP and MAP, in both sexes. However, when the effect of WC (along with BMI) was also controlled for, there was no significant sex difference in blood pressure.     

Cardiorespiratory fitness, different measures of adiposity, and cancer mortality in men

Objective: The purpose was to examine the prospective relationship among cardiorespiratory fitness level (CRF), different measures of adiposity, and cancer mortality in men. Research Methods and Procedures: Participants were 38,410 apparently healthy men who completed a comprehensive baseline health examination between 1970 and 2001. Clinical measures included BMI, waist circumference (WC), percent body fat, and CRF quantified as duration of a maximal treadmill exercise test. Participants were divided into fifths of CRF, BMI, WC, and percent body fat. Hazard ratios were computed with Cox regression analysis. Results: During a mean follow‐up period of 17.2 ± 7.9 years, 1037 cancer deaths occurred. Adjusted hazard ratios across incremental BMI quintiles were 1.0, 1.23, 1.15, 1.39, and 1.72; those of WC were 1.0, 1.05, 1.03, 1.31, and 1.64; those of percent body fat were 1.0, 1.24, 1.17, 1.23, and 1.50; and those of CRF were 1.0, 0.70, 0.67, 0.70, and 0.49 (trend p < 0.01 for each). Further adjustment for CRF eliminated the significant trend in mortality risk across percent body fat groups and attenuated the trend in risk across BMI and WC groups. Adjustment of CRF for adiposity measures had little effect on mortality risk. When grouped into categories of fit and unfit (upper 80% and lower 20% of CRF distribution, respectively), mortality rates (per 10,000 man‐years) were significantly lower in fit compared with unfit men within each stratum of BMI, WC, and percent body fat. Discussion: Higher levels of CRF are associated with lower cancer mortality risk in men, independently of several adiposity measures.     

Relationship between pituitary-thyroid axis hormones and anthropometric parameters in Czech adult population

Although the relationships between thyroid function and anthropometric parameters were studied in patients with thyroid disorders and in morbidly obese subjects, such data in normal healthy population are scarce. In our study, relationships between factors of body composition, fat distribution and age with hormones of the pituitary-thyroid axis were evaluated in a large, randomly selected sample of normal adult Czech population comprising of 1012 men and 1625 women. Our results exhibited weak, but significant relationships between body composition, body fat distribution and the parameters of pituitary-thyroid axis. Some of these associations were gender-specific. As shown by backward stepwise regression model, body fat distribution evaluated by centrality index (subscapular/triceps skinfold ratio) was negatively associated with free triiodothyronine (fT3) serum levels only in women, while a positive correlation of fT3 with BMI was specific for men. BMI was inversely related to free thyroxine (fT4) concentrations in women but not in men. The centrality index (CI) was positively related to TSH levels in both genders. The fT3/fT4 ratio, reflecting deiodinase activity, was inversely related to age and positively related to BMI in both genders, while the highly significant negative correlation between CI and fT3/fT4 ratio was specific for women.     

Visceral adiposity and subclinical coronary artery disease in elderly adults: Rancho Bernardo Study

Objective: Despite growing attention to central obesity as a predictor of clinical coronary heart disease (CHD), there are few reports about the association between directly measured visceral obesity and subclinical coronary atherosclerosis in elderly adults. We examined this association in elderly, community‐dwelling adults without clinically recognized CHD. Methods and Procedures: Elderly adults (190 men, BMI 27.2 ± 3.6 kg/m²; 220 women, BMI 25.8 ± 4.6) aged 55–88 years (median 69 years) with no history of CHD or coronary revascularization had an electron beam computed tomography (EBCT) to measure coronary artery calcification score (CACS), an estimate of coronary plaque burden. Visceral and subcutaneous adiposity were assessed by a triple‐slice EBCT scan at the lumbar 4–5 disc level and height, weight, and waist and hip circumferences were measured. Results: In sex‐specific ordinal logistic regression analyses, no measure of obesity or body fat distribution, including BMI, waist‐to‐hip ratio, waist girth, and visceral and subcutaneous fat by EBCT, was significantly associated with CACS before or after adjusting for multiple covariates of CACS (age, smoking, alcohol intake, exercise, pulse pressure, low‐density lipoprotein (LDL)/high‐density lipoprotein (HDL)‐cholesterol ratio, and fasting plasma glucose). Discussion: In elderly adults without clinically recognized CHD, body weight and fat distribution do not predict coronary artery plaque burden. These results raise questions about the value of weight reduction diets for preventing heart disease in elderly survivors without clinical heart disease.     

Body composition and fat distribution among older Jat females: A rural–urban comparison

The aim of the present cross-sectional study is to describe and compare age related changes in body composition and fat patterning among rural and urban Jat females of Haryana State, India. A total of 600 females (rural = 300, urban = 300), ranging in age from 40 to 70 years were selected by the purposive sampling method. Body weight, height, two circumferences (waist and hip) and skinfold thickness at five different sites (biceps, triceps, calf, subscapular, and supra-iliac) were taken on each participant. To study total adiposity, indices such as body mass index (BMI), grand mean thickness (GMT), total body fat and percentage fat were analyzed statistically. The fat distribution pattern was studied using waist/hip ratio, subscapular/triceps ratio and responsiveness of five skinfold sites towards accumulation of fat at different sites with advancing age. Results indicate a decline in almost every dimension including level of fatness between the mid-fourth and mid-fifth decades of life in both rural and urban females. Urban Jat females were heavier (57.36 kg vs. 56.07 kg, p > 0.05) and significantly taller (1553.3 mm vs. 1534.5 mm, p < 0.001) than their rural counterparts. Urban females also exhibited higher mean values for both the circumferences, five skinfold thicknesses as well as for lean body mass, total fat and percentage fat than the rural females. This is also evident from their higher mean values for body mass index and grand mean thickness. Waist/hip ratio values in rural and urban females showed upper body fat predominance, with urban females having relatively more abdominal fat. Results of subscapular/triceps ratio showed that rural and urban females gained proportionally similar amounts of subcutaneous fat at trunk and extremity sites until 45 years of age. Subsequently trunk skinfolds increased relatively more in thickness. The magnitude of this increase was comparatively greater in rural females up to 55 years and among urban females from 55 to 70 years. The profiles of subcutaneous fat accumulation and sensitivity of each skinfold site also revealed more fat deposition in the trunk region compared to extremities in both rural and urban females. The present study demonstrated differential rates of fat redistribution among rural and urban females.     

Body composition and fat distribution pattern of urban elderly females, Delhi, India

The present study was conducted on females (n = 279) in the age range of 51-89 year, living in the urban dwellings of Delhi, India. Another group of 21-25 years old young adult females was taken as a control group. A total of 14 anthropometric measurements were taken: stature, sitting height, weight, skinfold thickness at nine different sites over the body and body girths such as upper arm, waist and hip circumference. Indices like body mass index, grand mean thickness, waist-hip ratio were computed to assess the body composition. Fat profile and responsiveness of different skinfold sites towards fat accumulation were studied to find out the regional fat distribution with advancing age. Redistribution of body fat was found to take place with increasing age. A relative preponderance of upper body fat was visible among elderly subjects. However, a clear reverse trend was observed in the young control group females. Significant differences were observed with regards to the body composition and fat profile between young adult females and test group females. Abdomen and the sub-scapular area were reported to be the most sensitive sites for fat deposition as the age advanced. The stature and sitting height showed significant decline with age. All the indices of adiposity i.e. grand mean thickness, waist-hip ratio and body mass index revealed significant changes in elderly females when compared with young adult control group females.     

A Prospective Study of Adiposity and All‐Cause Mortality: The Malmö Diet and Cancer Study

Objective: This study aims to examine the association between various measures of adiposity and all‐cause mortality in Swedish middle‐aged and older men and women and, additionally, to describe the influences of age and sex on these associations. Research Methods and Procedures: A prospective analysis was performed in a cohort of 10,902 men and 16,814 women ages 45 to 73 years who participated in the Malmö Diet and Cancer Study in Sweden. Baseline examinations took place between 1991 and 1996, and 982 deaths were documented during an average follow‐up of 5.7 years. All‐cause mortality was related to the following variables measured at baseline: body mass index (BMI), percentage of body fat, lean body mass (LBM), and waist‐to‐hip ratio (WHR), with adjustment for age and selected covariates. Body composition data were derived from bioelectrical impedance analysis. Results: The association between percentage of body fat and mortality was modified by age, particularly in women. For instance, fatness was associated with excess mortality in the younger women but with reduced mortality in the older women. Weaker associations were seen for BMI than for percentage of body fat in both sexes. Placement in the top quintiles of waist‐to‐hip ratio, independent of overall body fat, was a stronger predictor of mortality in women than in men. The observed associations could not be explained by bias from early death or antecedent disease. Discussion: The findings reveal sex and age differences for the effects of adiposity and WHR on mortality and indicate the importance of considering direct measures of adiposity, as opposed to BMI, when describing obesity‐related mortality risks.     

Anthropometry and body composition of 18 year old men according to duration of breast feeding: birth cohort study from Brazil

Objective To assess the association between duration of breast feeding and measures of adiposity in adolescence.Design Population based birth cohort study.Setting Pelotas, a city of 320 000 inhabitants in a relatively developed area in southern Brazil.Participants All newborn infants in the city''s hospitals were enrolled in 1982; 78.8% (2250) of all male participants were located at age 18 years when enrolling in the national army.Main outcome measures Weight, height, sitting height, subscapular and triceps skinfolds, and body composition (body fat, lean mass).Results Neither the duration of total breast feeding nor that of predominant breast feeding (breast milk plus non-nutritive fluids) showed consistent associations with anthropometric or body composition indices. After adjustment for confounding factors, the only significant associations were a greater than 50% reduction in obesity among participants breast fed for three to five months compared with all other breastfeeding categories (P = 0.007) and a linear decreasing trend in obesity with increasing duration of predominant breast feeding (P = 0.03). Similar significant effects were not observed for other measures of adiposity. Borderline direct associations also occurred between total duration of breast feeding and adult height (P = 0.06).Conclusions The significant reduction in obesity among children breast fed for three to five months is difficult to interpret, as no a priori hypothesis existed regarding a protective effect of intermediate duration of breast feeding. The findings indicate that, in this population, breast feeding has no marked protective effect against adolescent adiposity.     

Fatness and fat patterning in relation to age changes and menarche

The present study assesses changes with age in fatness and fat patterning in a cross-sectional sample of Spanish schoolgirls from 6 to 16 years of age living in an urban area (Madrid). Arm muscle area and arm fat area were derived from middle-upper arm anthropometry. Body mass index (weight/height²) and the sum of the skinfold thicknesses at three sites (triceps, subscapular and suprailiac) were computed as indices of adiposity; and two indices of subcutaneous fat distribution were also defined: the natural logarithms of subscapular/triceps and suprailiac/triceps skinfold thickness ratios. Changes with age in these variables are described, including some pattern changes found in amount of fatness as well as in fat distribution at pubescence. At this time, there is a plateau in fat deposition, and even a fat loss the average (at triceps site). Prior to pubescence, subcutaneous fat distribution changes from «pheripheral» to a more generalized pattern, but no well-defined pattern of change is found after the onset of menarche. Furthermore, the effect of the onset of puberty on all these variables is analyzed.     

Cardiorespiratory fitness, different measures of adiposity, and total cancer mortality in women

The objective was to examine associations among cardiorespiratory fitness (CRF), adiposity, and cancer mortality in women. Healthy women (N = 14,256) without cancer history completed a baseline health examination 1970-2005. Measures included BMI, percent body fat (%Fat), and CRF quantified as duration of a maximal treadmill test. CRF was classified as low (quintile 1), moderate (Q2-3), and high fit (Q4-5) by age. Standard BMI cutpoints were used, while participants were classified by %Fat quintiles. Cancer mortality rates were calculated following age, exam year, and smoking adjustment. During a mean follow-up period of 15.2 ± 9.4 years, 250 cancer deaths occurred. Adjusted mortality rates across BMI groups were 4.6, 5.7, and 8.8 (P trend 0.08); %Fat 3.0, 4.9, 2.9, 3.8, and 6.9 (P trend 0.17); and CRF 7.9, 5.5, and 2.9 (P trend 0.003). When grouped into categories of fit and unfit (upper 80% and lower 20% of CRF distribution), and using BMI as the adiposity exposure, cancer mortality rates of unfit-obese women were significantly higher than fit-normal weight women (9.8 vs. 4.1 deaths/10,000 woman-years; P = 0.02), while fit-overweight and fit-obese women had no greater risk of mortality than fit-normal weight women. Using %Fat as the adiposity exposure, unfit-obese women tended to have higher cancer mortality than fit-normal weight women (7.0 vs. 3.3 deaths/10,000 woman-years, P = 0.10). Higher levels of CRF are associated with lower cancer mortality risk in women and attenuate the risk of cancer mortality in overweight women. Using adiposity measures to estimate cancer mortality risk in women can be potentially misleading unless CRF is considered.     

Gender differences in fat patterning in children living in Ankara

Body composition is an excellent indicator for assessing obesity and nutritional status of both individuals and populations. Youth obesity has important health and social implications, because a large proportion of adult obesity has its origin in childhood. Numerous studies report that adverse levels of cardiovascular diseases risk factors are associated with adiposity in children. Concerning the Turkish population there is up to now only limited information with regard to adiposity in children. The aim of this study was therefore to determine the anthropometric and body composition characteristics and to investigate sex differences in fat patterning including fat distribution in a group of children living in Ankara. The present study evaluated the body composition of 332 boys and 269 girls aged between 8 and 11 years, attending public schools. It was carried out by a cross-sectional study and was focused on that anthropometric variables, which reflect body fat and fat-free mass. Anthropometric measurements including height, weight, triceps and subscapular skinfolds thickness were carried out on these children. The body mass index (BMI) was also calculated. The measurements were used to estimate the two-compartment model of body composition: fat-free mass (FFM) and body fat (BF) from skinfold equations. The mean fat percentage in boys is highest at 11 years (16.8%) and lowest at 10 years (15.6%). In girls these figures come to 18.2% and 17.1%, respectively. Girls of these age groups have a significantly larger percentage of body fat and skinfold thickness. At this young age there is therefore clear evidence of sexual dimorphism in fat patterning, as girls are showing a greater subcutaneous adiposity, which is mainly contributed by the triceps fat. The body fat (kg) increases in both sexes all over the investigated age groups. The Pearson correlation matrix showed a high significant relation between the anthropometric measurements (p < 0.01). The present study confirms the findings that sexual dimorphism of fat patterning in children is to be seen in the age of 8 - 11 years. It furthermore presents basic data of body composition, which could serve as reference data in other studies on the Turkish population.     

Associations of leg fat accumulation with adiposity‐related biological factors and risk of metabolic syndrome

Objective:

To examine associations between regional fat mass (FM) distribution and cardiometabolic risk factors among ethnic minority groups, such as non‐Hispanic blacks and Hispanics.

Design and Methods:

The associations among 8,802 US residents who participated in the 1999‐2004 US National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey were examined. Body composition was measured using dual‐energy X‐ray absorptiometry. Leg fat indices included leg FM, leg FM percent (FM%), leg to whole body FM ratio (leg/whole), and leg to trunk FM ratio (leg/trunk). The correlation between leg fat indices and adiposity‐related risk factors, as well as the association of these indices with metabolic syndrome (MetS) was evaluated.

Results:

After adjusting for covariates including age, gender, and trunk FM or trunk FM%, higher leg FM and leg FM% were, in general, correlated favorably with adiposity‐related risk factors and associated with lower odds of MetS in all ethnicities, including non‐Hispanic whites and blacks and Hispanic groups. In addition, in all multivariate‐adjusted models, leg/whole and leg/trunk ratios were strongly associated with lower levels of most risk factors and decreased odds of MetS in these ethnicities (all odds ratios comparing extreme quintiles < 0.1).

Conclusions:

Results show that leg fat accumulation is inversely associated with adiposity‐related biological factors and risk of MetS in both whites and ethnic groups, suggesting that regional fat distribution plays an important role in the etiology of adiposity‐related diseases in these populations.     

Waist Circumference as the Best Predictor of Noninsulin Dependent Diabetes Mellitus (NIDDM) Compared to Body Mass Index,Waist/hip Ratio and Other Anthropometric Measurements in Mexican Americans—A 7-Year Prospective Study

Although a number of obesity-related variables are recognized risk factors for NIDDM, few studies have addressed which one is the best predictor. A cohort of 721 Mexican Americans aged 25–64 years who were free of NIDDM at baseline were followed for an average of 7.2 years; 105 new cases of NIDDM were diagnosed. Body weight, body mass index (BMI), waist and hip circumferences, waist/hip ratio (WHR), triceps and subscapular skinfolds were all positively predictive of NIDDM independent of age and sex. There were modest to strong correlations between these anthropometric variables, however, waist circumference was the strongest predictor of NIDDM. The predictive power of a single measurement of waist circumference was at least equal to that of WHR and BMI combined. The risk of NIDDM for those in the highest quartile of waist circumference was 11 times greater than for those in the lowest quartile (95% confidence interval: 4.2–28.8). The waist-NIDDM relation was stronger in subjects with BMI ≤ 27 kg/m² (OR: 6.0 for a 1 SD difference) than in subjects with BMI > 27 kg/m2 (OR: 1.7 for a 1 SD difference). In multivariate analysis, waist circumference was the only significant predictor of NIDDM in models that included other anthropometric variables either separately or simultaneously. WHR and BMI were independent predictors of NIDDM after adjustment for each other, however, their predictive abilities disappeared after adjustment for waist circumference. The data indicate that waist is the best obesity-related predictor of NIDDM. This finding suggests that the distribution of body fat, especially abdominal localization, is a more important determinant than the total amount of body fat of the development of NIDDM in Mexican Americans.     

Regional adiposity, body composition and central body fat distribution of 10-16 years old Bengalee boys of Nimta, North 24 Parganas, West Bengal, India

A cross-sectional study of 502 Bengalee boys aged 10-16 years of Nimta, North 24 Parganas, West Bengal, India, was undertaken to study regional adiposity, body composition and central body fat distribution. The subjects were classified into seven age groups: 10-10.9 years (n = 74), 11-11.9 (n = 53), 12-12.9 (n = 87), 13-13.9 (n = 116), 14-14.9 (n = 58), 15-15.9 (n = 57), 16-16.9 (n = 57). In general, there was a significant linear increasing trend from 10 to 16 years for all the anthropometric variables. There was a net increase of 30.5 cm and 22.8 kg in mean height and weight, respectively, between 10 and 16 years of age. Mean BMI increased by 3.7 kg/m2 during the same period. Among circumferences, the largest increase was in hip followed by chest while the smallest increase was in mid upper arm, between 10 and 16 years of age. Subscapular skinfold showed the largest increase followed by abdomen and suprailiac skinfolds, while the increase was least in forearm skinfold. Significant linear increasing trend was observed for all the body composition measures. The largest increase in percent of body fat (PBF) was observed between ages 10 and 11 years while mean fat mass (FM), fat free mass (FFM) and fat mass index (FMI) increased the most between 14 to 15 years. However, an overall decreasing trend was observed, in mean waist-to-hip ratio (WHR) from 10 to 16 years. Boys aged 10 years had the highest mean WHR while those aged 15 years had the lowest mean WHR. There was an increase in mean WHR among 16 years old boys.