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BMI and waist circumference cut-offs for corresponding levels of insulin sensitivity in a Middle Eastern immigrant versus a native Swedish population - The MEDIM population based study

Bennet, Louise LU orcid ; Stenkula, Karin LU ; Cushman, Samuel W. and Brismar, Kerstin (2016) In BMC Public Health 16(1).
Abstract

Background: The aim of this study was to identify corresponding body mass index (BMI) and waist circumference cut-offs for equivalent levels of insulin sensitivity in a Middle Eastern immigrant population compared with native Swedes. Methods: Citizens of Malmö, Sweden aged 30 to 75 years, who were born in Iraq or Sweden, were in 2010-2012 invited to participate in a health examination including anthropometrics, oral glucose tolerance test, fasting samples and interviews concerning sociodemographic factors and lifestyle behaviours. Results: In total, 1176 individuals born in Iraq and 688 born in Sweden, without previously diagnosed type 2 diabetes, participated in the study. In normal weight participants (BMI < 25 kg/m2),... (More)

Background: The aim of this study was to identify corresponding body mass index (BMI) and waist circumference cut-offs for equivalent levels of insulin sensitivity in a Middle Eastern immigrant population compared with native Swedes. Methods: Citizens of Malmö, Sweden aged 30 to 75 years, who were born in Iraq or Sweden, were in 2010-2012 invited to participate in a health examination including anthropometrics, oral glucose tolerance test, fasting samples and interviews concerning sociodemographic factors and lifestyle behaviours. Results: In total, 1176 individuals born in Iraq and 688 born in Sweden, without previously diagnosed type 2 diabetes, participated in the study. In normal weight participants (BMI < 25 kg/m2), 21.2% of Iraqis vs 9.3% of Swedes were insulin resistant. Corresponding figures in participants without abdominal obesity (waist circumference, men < 94 cm, women < 80 cm) were 28.2% of Iraqis vs 9.4% of Swedes. The age-adjusted insulin sensitivity index (ISI) for obese Swedes (BMI 30 kg/m2) corresponded in Iraqi men with BMI of 28.5 kg/m2, and in Iraqi women with BMI of 27.5 kg/m2. The ISI level in abdominally obese Swedes corresponded with waist circumference cut-offs of 84.0 cm and 71.0 cm in Iraqi men and women, respectively. In men only, larger waist circumference (P interaction = 0.026) presented a stronger association with impaired ISI in Iraqis as compared to Swedes. Conclusions: Our data shows that the impact of BMI and waist circumference on ISI is ethnic- and gender-specific, indicating a disturbed fat metabolism in Iraqi males in particular. Our data suggests that 10 cm lower cut-off values for abdominal obesity, than is currently recommended by major organisations, should be considered when estimating diabetes risk in Middle Eastern populations.

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Please use this url to cite or link to this publication:
author
; ; and
organization
publishing date
type
Contribution to journal
publication status
published
subject
keywords
Abdominal obesity, Body mass index, Immigrants, Insulin sensitivity
in
BMC Public Health
volume
16
issue
1
article number
1242
publisher
BioMed Central (BMC)
external identifiers
  • scopus:85003422067
  • pmid:27938404
  • wos:000390485700004
ISSN
1471-2458
DOI
10.1186/s12889-016-3892-1
project
The MEDIM project
language
English
LU publication?
yes
id
e652568f-116e-4b6d-8303-d0624e1e40b2
date added to LUP
2016-12-23 08:32:51
date last changed
2024-01-04 19:37:34
@article{e652568f-116e-4b6d-8303-d0624e1e40b2,
  abstract     = {{<p>Background: The aim of this study was to identify corresponding body mass index (BMI) and waist circumference cut-offs for equivalent levels of insulin sensitivity in a Middle Eastern immigrant population compared with native Swedes. Methods: Citizens of Malmö, Sweden aged 30 to 75 years, who were born in Iraq or Sweden, were in 2010-2012 invited to participate in a health examination including anthropometrics, oral glucose tolerance test, fasting samples and interviews concerning sociodemographic factors and lifestyle behaviours. Results: In total, 1176 individuals born in Iraq and 688 born in Sweden, without previously diagnosed type 2 diabetes, participated in the study. In normal weight participants (BMI &lt; 25 kg/m<sup>2</sup>), 21.2% of Iraqis vs 9.3% of Swedes were insulin resistant. Corresponding figures in participants without abdominal obesity (waist circumference, men &lt; 94 cm, women &lt; 80 cm) were 28.2% of Iraqis vs 9.4% of Swedes. The age-adjusted insulin sensitivity index (ISI) for obese Swedes (BMI 30 kg/m<sup>2</sup>) corresponded in Iraqi men with BMI of 28.5 kg/m<sup>2</sup>, and in Iraqi women with BMI of 27.5 kg/m<sup>2</sup>. The ISI level in abdominally obese Swedes corresponded with waist circumference cut-offs of 84.0 cm and 71.0 cm in Iraqi men and women, respectively. In men only, larger waist circumference (P <sub>interaction</sub> = 0.026) presented a stronger association with impaired ISI in Iraqis as compared to Swedes. Conclusions: Our data shows that the impact of BMI and waist circumference on ISI is ethnic- and gender-specific, indicating a disturbed fat metabolism in Iraqi males in particular. Our data suggests that 10 cm lower cut-off values for abdominal obesity, than is currently recommended by major organisations, should be considered when estimating diabetes risk in Middle Eastern populations.</p>}},
  author       = {{Bennet, Louise and Stenkula, Karin and Cushman, Samuel W. and Brismar, Kerstin}},
  issn         = {{1471-2458}},
  keywords     = {{Abdominal obesity; Body mass index; Immigrants; Insulin sensitivity}},
  language     = {{eng}},
  month        = {{12}},
  number       = {{1}},
  publisher    = {{BioMed Central (BMC)}},
  series       = {{BMC Public Health}},
  title        = {{BMI and waist circumference cut-offs for corresponding levels of insulin sensitivity in a Middle Eastern immigrant versus a native Swedish population - The MEDIM population based study}},
  url          = {{http://dx.doi.org/10.1186/s12889-016-3892-1}},
  doi          = {{10.1186/s12889-016-3892-1}},
  volume       = {{16}},
  year         = {{2016}},
}