Central Obesity Risk
Data Type | Health Risk |
Scans Required | BodyScan |
Source | Heo, M., Faith, M. S., Pietrobelli, A., & Heymsfield, S. B. (2012). Percentage of body fat cutoffs by sex, age, and race-ethnicity in the US adult population from NHANES 1999–2004. The American journal of clinical nutrition, 95(3), 594-602. International Diabetes Federation. Alberti, G., Zimmet, P. Z., Shaw, J., & Grundy, S. M. (2006). The IDF consensus worldwide definition of metabolic syndrome. |
Validation | Predictors of Waist Circumference have been Externally Validated(Prof Timothy R Ackland). Validated against ISAK |
Predictors – Risk Category | Ethnicity, gender, waist circumference |
Risk Category | Low, Medium, High |
Strengths/Weaknesses | Defining central obesity with a simple sex-specific waist circumference threshold provides a simple diagnostic and clinical tool to define those who are potentially at greater risk of medical comorbidities, detect them early and facilitate intervention. Universal cutoffs, covering all ethnicities, are not currently available due to limited research. There are inherent challenges related to the determination of health outcomes, including sex differences; age‐related changes in body composition and conformation; and group, population, and geographical differences. These confounders need to be evaluated more carefully before consensus cutoffs can be reported. |
Central obesity is defined by the International Diabetes Federation as an increased waist circumference using the guidelines in the table below which are gender and ethnic group (not the country of residence) specific.
Central obesity is independently associated with components of metabolic syndrome, including insulin resistance, and as such is a prerequisite risk factor for diagnosing metabolic syndrome. Central obesity is also extensively associated with increased visceral fat.
The consensus group acknowledges that these are pragmatic cut-points taken from various different data sources and that better data will be needed to link these to risk.
Ethnic group | Sex | Waist Circumference | Expert Consensus | Definition |
Europids | Male | ≥ 94cm < 102 cm | International Diabetes Federation and the World Health Organisation | Central Obesity Increased risk of metabolic complications |
| Male | ≥ 102 cm | World Health Organisation | Substantially increased risk of metabolic complications |
| Female | ≥ 80cm < 88cm | International Diabetes Federation and World Health Organisation | Increased risk of metabolic complications |
| Female | ≥ 88cm | World Health Organisation | Substantially increased risk of metabolic complications |
South Asians Chinese Japanese | Male | ≥ 90cm | International Diabetes Federation | Central Obesity |
| Female | ≥ 80cm | International Diabetes Federation | Central Obesity |
Ethnic South and Central Americans | Use European data | Use European data | International Diabetes Federation |
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Sub-Saharan Africans | Use European data | Use European data | International Diabetes Federation |
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Eastern Mediterranean and Middle East (Arab) populations | Use European data | Use European data | International Diabetes Federation |
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