Anthropometric correlates of metabolic syndrome components in a diverse sample of overweight/obese women.

OBJECTIVE The purpose of this study was to determine the relationship between body mass index (BMI), waist circumference, and waist-to-hip ratio (WHR) with cardiometabolic variables that reflect the metabolic syndrome in overweight/obese premenopausal White, African American, and Hispanic women. METHODS Two hundred and thirty four young overweight/obese women enrolled in a weight loss program were recruited for this study. Analysis of variance was used to compare means among groups, and multiple regression analyses were used to determine the relationship between anthropometric measurements and cardiometabolic variables, after controlling for age. RESULTS In both White and African American women, BMI was significantly related to systolic blood pressure and diastolic blood pressure, while in Hispanic women, BMI failed to predict any cardiometabolic variables. Using waist circumference afforded the additional prediction of high density lipoprotein cholesterol (P=.017) and triglycerides in White women and serum glucose in African American women. In Hispanic women, waist circumference significantly predicted serum glucose. WHR was the strongest predictor of metabolic syndrome components in White women; however, it failed to predict any cardiometabolic variables in Hispanic women. CONCLUSIONS Both waist circumference and WHR were better correlates of metabolic syndrome components than was BMI. While WHR appeared optimal for predicting components of the metabolic syndrome in White women, our findings showed that waist circumference was the most global anthropometric indicator of metabolic syndrome components in a diverse racial and ethnic sample of overweight/obese women.