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
; 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.
(Less)
- author
- Bennet, Louise
LU
; Stenkula, Karin
LU
; Cushman, Samuel W.
and Brismar, Kerstin
- organization
- publishing date
- 2016-12-09
- 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
-
- pmid:27938404
- wos:000390485700004
- scopus:85003422067
- 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
- 2025-04-20 02:32:27
@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 < 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 < 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/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}},
}