Relationship of body fat with insulin resistance and cardiometabolic risk factors among normal glucose-tolerant subjects.

BACKGROUND The amount of body fat, rather than the amount of excess weight, determines the health risks of obesity, type 2 diabetes mellitus, and cardiovascular disease. AIMS To look at the association of body fat percentage with cardiometabolic risk factors in subjects with normal glucose tolerance (NGT). SETTINGS AND DESIGN Cross-section study from the Chennai Urban Rural Epidemiology Study. MATERIALS AND METHODS Body fat was measured by Beurer body fat analyzer. Metabolic syndrome (MS) was diagnosed based on modified ATPIII guidelines. STATISTICAL ANALYSIS Student's t test or one-way ANOVA (with Tukey's HSD) was used to compare groups for continuous variables. RESULTS Body mass index, waist circumference, systolic and diastolic blood pressure, HOMA IR, serum cholesterol, and LDL cholesterol increased significantly with increasing tertiles of body fat (P<0.001). There was a linear increase in the percentage of body fat with increase in number of components of MS (no metabolic abnormality: 25 ± 11, one metabolic abnormality: 28 ± 10, two metabolic abnormalities: 33 ± 8, and three and more metabolic abnormalities: 35 ± 7) (P<0.001). Regression models showed significant association of body fat with MS after adjusting for age, gender, insulin resistance, and glycated hemoglobin (Odds ratio: 1.04, 95% confidence interval: 1.04 - 1.08, P<0.001). In linear regression analysis, body fat showed a significant association with insulin resistance after adjusting for age, gender, and glycated hemoglobin (β=0.030, P<0.001). CONCLUSIONS A significant association exists between body fat, MS, and cardiometabolic risk factors even among subjects with NGT.