2010 Volume 25 Issue 1 Pages 32-37
Objective: Individuals with metabolic syndrome (MetS) undergoing the specific health guidance program in Japan are screened based on the criteria of abdominal (abd.) circumference and/or body mass index (BMI). However, non-obese individuals not selected on the basis of these criteria may have other factors related to MetS, such as high blood pressure, high glucose levels, and abnormal lipid profiles, and might require instruction for prevention of cardiovascular diseases. We studied the relationships between obesity and metabolic abnormalities in subjects who underwent a complete medical examination at our center for the future management of such individuals.
Methods: We investigated 13,684 subjects (7,136 males, 6,548 females) who visited our center from April 2008 to March 2009, and used data from them regarding abd. circumference, BMI, blood pressure, plasma glucose levels, glycohemoglobin levels, serum triglyceride levels, and HDL-cholesterol levels for our analysis.
Results: Nearly half of the males (47.4%) were determined to be obese based on abd. circumference and/or BMI. There were significant relationships between abd. circumference and the number of other composition factors, with each additional 3.5 cm of abd. circumference adding another composition factor. However, 31.5% of males and 64.4% of females who had three composition factors did not fulfill the criteria of obesity, and thus did not receive instruction regarding MetS as part of the specific health guidance program.
Conclusions: Screening for obesity, especially visceral obesity, is necessary for better prevention of risk factors related to cardiovascular diseases. With the present criteria, many non-obese persons with multiple composition factors for MetS do not benefit from the specific health guidance program.
