March 28, 2006 – The waist circumference in children and adolescents could predict the risk of becoming resistant to insulin, a precursor to type 2 diabetes.
More and more studies indicate that in adults, the waist circumference is an accurate tool for assessing the risk of developing cardiovascular disorders and diabetes. This time, researchers from Pittsburg1 say they have discovered that this measurement is also reliable with young people, regardless of their body mass index (BMI).
The data collected came from 145 healthy young people, aged 8 to 17, who underwent different measurements: weight, height, composition of body mass, blood samples, etc.
Analysis of the data found that in association with BMI, children’s waist circumference is a reliable measure of total fat, including subcutaneous and visceral abdominal fat. But after having isolated it from that of the BMI, the measurement of the waist circumference alone made it possible to determine with precision the quantity of visceral fat which would predispose the young people to insulin resistance.
For researchers, this discovery highlights the importance of combining waist circumference with BMI to more accurately measure childhood obesity as well as the risks it can entail.
Martin LaSalle – PasseportSanté.net
According to Reuters.
1. Lee S, Bacha F, Gungor N, Arslanian SA. Waist circumference is an independent predictor of insulin resistance in black and white youths, The Journal of Pediatrics, February 2006, Vol. 148, No. 2, 188-94.
