Evaluation of Anthropometric Indices for Metabolic Syndrome and their Association with Metabolic Risk Factors among Healthy Individuals in New Belgrade

People with metabolic syndrome (MetSy) are about twice as likely to develop cardiovascular disease and over four times as likely to develop type 2 diabetes compared to subjects without metabolic syndrome. Waist circumferences (WC) and body mass index (BMI) are useful screening tools for making the diagnosis. MetSy has increased the health risk in primary care. The aim of the study was to evaluate the anthropometric indices for MetSy and determine which of simple anthropometric measurements is most closely associated with metabolic risk factors. The research included 264 individuals, of which 132 men with mean age (±SD) of 44.73±9.37 years and 132 women with mean age (±SD) of 46.67±8.44 years. Antropometric indicators were measured using standard protocols, without shoes and outerwear. BMI was calculated as weight/height2(kg/m2) ratio, as recommended by the World Health Organization (WHO). Blood pressure measurements were obtained with the subject in a seated position by using a standard mercury sphygmomanometer. Blood samples were obtained after a minimum of 12-h fast; the metabolic parameters (high-density lipoprotein-cholesterol, low-density lipoprotein-cholesterol, triglycerides, blood glucose) were analyzed by standard procedures. Analysis of the examinees’ medical records was also performed. Metabolic syndrome was diagnosed using the International Diabetes Federation (IDF) criteria. The analysis of the research results were performed using the Statistical Package for Social Science version 10.0 (SPSS 10.0 for Windows).The prevalence of the metabolic syndrome was 44.7% in men and 43.2% in women. Normal-weight subjects of both sexes were significantly younger and had significantly lower blood glucose, total cholesterol, LDL and triglycerides than overweight and obese subjects. Systolic and diastolic blood pressure values were significantly increased in parallel with increasing of BMI. For the whole sample, both anthropometric indices had significant associations with the other five components of MetSy. Waist circumference is a simple measure of adiposity most strongly associated with metabolic abnormalities. The results obtained in this study indicate that WC is a good indicator of health risk in women but not in men. Measurement of WC by BMI categories may indicate a person with an increased risk of development of chronic diseases.