Abstract
OBJECTIVE: To assess whether the extent of abdominal fat distribution, as measured by the waist to hip ratio (WHR), might account for the sex differences in the levels of cardiovascular risk factors.
DESIGN: Cross-sectional age-matched study.
SUBJECTS: 1264 men and 1264 premenopausal women, aged 30–49 y, free from known cardiovascular diseases and diabetes, included in the prospective study, D.E.S.I.R.
MEASUREMENTS: (1) body mass index (BMI), WHR and blood pressures; (2) fasting concentrations of blood glucose, insulin, lipids and lipoprotein subfractions, and apolipoproteins; and (3) smoking status, physical activity, and alcohol consumption.
RESULTS: After taking into account age and BMI, there were gradual relationships, within and across sexes, between WHR and the levels of most lipids and lipoproteins, of fasting glucose and insulin, and, to a lesser extent, of blood pressures. In particular, men and women with similar BMI and WHR had similar levels of triglycerides. Multivariate regression analysis showed that the variance of cardiovascular risk factors explained by the model was increased when sex was included, after controlling for age, BMI and lifestyle habits (all P<0.01). If WHR was included in the model, sex had no additional effect on total cholesterol (P>0.09 for change in total r2 ) or triglycerides (P>0.40 for change in total r2). In contrast, for other cardiovascular risk factors, adjustment for covariates and WHR did not fully eliminate the sex differences, although WHR increased the variance explained with or without additional control for sex (all P<0.01).
CONCLUSION: The continuous increase of cardiovascular risk factors with WHR, especially for lipids and lipoproteins, suggests that the abdominal body fat distribution may partially explain the relative unhealthier cardiovascular risk profile of men.
This is a preview of subscription content, access via your institution
Access options
Subscribe to this journal
Receive 12 print issues and online access
$259.00 per year
only $21.58 per issue
Buy this article
- Purchase on Springer Link
- Instant access to full article PDF
Prices may be subject to local taxes which are calculated during checkout
Similar content being viewed by others
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Author notes
The DESIR Study Group: INSERM U258: B. Balkau, E. Eschwège; INSERM U367: F. Alhenc-Gelas; University Hospital Center from Angers: A. Bechetoille, Y. Gallois, A. Girault, M. Marre; Regional Association of Cardiology: M. Brochier; The 9th Network of Health Examination Centers (Center-West of France): M.C. Chesnier in Alençon, M. Gasnier in Angers, J.M. Le Mauff in Blois, A. Caradec in Caen, D. Arondel in Chartres, M. Novak in Châteauroux, A. Petrella in Cholet, A. D’Hour in Le Mans, P. Lépinay in Orléans, B. Royer in Tours; Administrative Coordinator of the 9th Network: N. Verstraete; Institute of General Medicine Research: Ph. Aubourg for the Basse-Normandie region, J. Cogneau and C. Rougeron for the Centre region, V. Diquero for the Pays de Loire region; General practitioners of the Departments; IRSA: E. Cacès, M. Cailleau, J.M. Jacquelin, J.G. Moreau, F. Rakotozafy, J. Tichet, S. Vol.
Consortia
Corresponding author
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Bertrais, S., Balkau, B., Vol, S. et al. Relationships between abdominal body fat distribution and cardiovascular risk factors: an explanation for women’s healthier cardiovascular risk profile. The D.E.S.I.R. Study. Int J Obes 23, 1085–1094 (1999). https://doi.org/10.1038/sj.ijo.0801033
Received:
Revised:
Accepted:
Published:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/sj.ijo.0801033
Keywords
This article is cited by
-
Risk factors for incident type 2 diabetes in individuals with a BMI of <27 kg/m2: the role of γ-glutamyltransferase. Data from an Epidemiological Study on the Insulin Resistance Syndrome (DESIR)
Diabetologia (2010)
-
ABCA1 Single Nucleotide Polymorphisms on High-Density Lipoprotein-Cholesterol and Overweight: the D.E.S.I.R. Study*
Obesity (2006)
-
Growth curves of anthropometric indices in a general population of French children and comparison with reference data
European Journal of Clinical Nutrition (2006)
-
Prescreening tools for diabetes and obesity-associated dyslipidaemia: comparing BMI, waist and waist hip ratio. The D.E.S.I.R. Study
European Journal of Clinical Nutrition (2006)
-
Abdominal fat and hip fracture risk in the elderly: The Dubbo Osteoporosis Epidemiology Study
BMC Musculoskeletal Disorders (2005)