Waist to hip ratio, body mass index, and glucose intolerance from Funagata population-based diabetes survey in Japan

To examine the association of body mass index (BMI) and waist-to-hip ratio (WHR) with glucose intolerance among adults age 45 and over, we conducted a population-based study using an oral glucose tolerance test as a primary examination in two areas of Funagata, Japan, in 1990 and 1992. The number of eligible subjects was 1673. The participation rate was 84% (1408/1673). Glucose tolerance was assessed by the 1985 World Health Organization criteria as having diabetes (DM), impaired glucose tolerance (IGT), or normal glucose tolerance (NGT). Analyses by the generalized linear model revealed that both BMI and WHR were higher in the subjects with DM and IGT than those with NGT in both men and women after controlling for age. Analyses employing multiple logistic regression indicated that BMI and WHR were independently associated with IGT and DM in both men and women, except for BMI with IGT for men. The odds ratios for IGT associated with BMI were 1.06 (p=0.19) for men and 1.11 (p<0.01) for women. Those associated with WHR were 2.14 (p<0.01) for men and 1.35 (p<0.01) for women. These results imply that WHR plays an important role for developing DM independent of BMI.