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Ethnic differences in the relationships between obesity and glucose-metabolic abnormalities: a cross-sectional population-based study

Abstract

OBJECTIVES:

To evaluate whether body mass index (BMI) and other anthropometric indices of visceral obesity vary by ethnic group in their distribution and their relationship to metabolic abnormalities.

DESIGN:

Cross-sectional study.

PARTICIPANTS:

Canadian men and women, aged 35–75 years, of South Asian (n=342), Chinese (n=317), European (n=326) and Aboriginal (n=301) descent were recruited using stratified random sampling.

PRIMARY MEASURES:

Anthropometric indices (BMI, waist to hip ratio (WHR) and waist circumference (WC)), metabolic markers (fasting glucose, HbA1c, the ratio of total cholesterol/HDL) and clinical markers (systolic blood pressure) were assessed.

RESULTS:

In subjects with BMI<30 kg/m2, the mean marker levels in people with elevated WC (>88 cm in women, >102 cm in men) vs people with normal WC were 6.16 vs 5.34 mmol/l for fasting glucose, 6.05 vs 5.66% for HbA1c and 5.46 vs 4.68 for the ratio of total cholesterol to HDL (P<0.001 in each case). At nearly every given level of BMI, non-European ethnic groups displayed significantly higher marker levels than Europeans. For example, for a given BMI, age and sex, the difference between European and non-European groups in HbA1c levels was 0.53% (95% confidence interval (CI): 0.37–0.69) for South Asians, 0.37% (95% CI: 0.2–0.54) for Chinese and 0.95% (95% CI: 0.78–1.12) for Aboriginal People.

CONCLUSIONS:

Uniform cut-points for the classification of obesity using BMI, WHR or WC result in marked variation in the levels of glucose-metabolic abnormalities between ethnic groups. Existing action thresholds for these anthropometric indices do not apply to non-European ethnic groups and warrant revision.

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Acknowledgements

Contributors: The primary authors of this manuscript were F Razak, S Anand and S Yusuf. R Jacobs and A Darlene Davis coordinated the study at Six Nations. V Vuksan and KK Teo contributed to the design of the SHARE study and recruitment of two-thirds of the South Asian, Chinese and European populations.

Funding: Mr Razak is a recipient of an Ontario Graduate Scholarship. Dr Anand is a recipient of a Canadian Institutes of Health Research Clinician Scientist Award. Dr Yusuf is a recipient of a Canadian Institutes of Health Research Career Scientist Award and holds a Heart and Stroke Foundation of Ontario Research Chair. This study was supported by a Grant Support from the Heart and Stroke Foundation of Canada. Funding agencies had no influence over the content of this manuscript.

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Razak, F., Anand, S., Vuksan, V. et al. Ethnic differences in the relationships between obesity and glucose-metabolic abnormalities: a cross-sectional population-based study. Int J Obes 29, 656–667 (2005). https://doi.org/10.1038/sj.ijo.0802937

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