Relation of body composition indexes to cardiovascular disease risk factors in young adults

Abstract

Background: To evaluate the relationship of body composition indexes with altered metabolic analytical parameters that show higher risk of cardiovascular disease in young adults.

Material and methods: A cross-sectional study. Sample of 1351 young adults, different body composition parameters were obtained such as Waist Circumference (WC), Hip Circumference (HC), Body Mass Index (BMI), Body Fat% (BF%), Waist-to-height Ratio (WHtR), and Waist-Hip Ratio (WHR), conicity index (C-Index), body surface area (BSA), abdominal volume index (AVI) and deep abdominal adipose-tissue (AT). Areas under receiver operating characteristic curves (AUCs) and odds ratios for the parameters were analyzed and their optimal cut-offs. Separately a MANOVA was applied to altered metabolic analytical parameters and two body composition indexes (BMI and BSA) and their interaction.

Results: BMI correlate significantly with metabolic analytical parameters (FPG r=0.08, TCh r=0.14, TGL r=0.23, HDL-C r=-0.23, LDL-C r=0.2, UA r=0.22, All P<0.01), BSA correlate with all (All P<0.001) except FPG. BMI and BSA correlate significantly with all metabolic analytical parameters (All P<0.001). The BMI individually predicts the changes of the six metabolic analytical parameters as a set [Wilk's λ=0.89, F(18,1570)=3.4, P<0.0001], but not BSA [Wilk's λ=0.98, F(6,555)=1.4, P=0.18], the interaction between these two indexes (BMI and BSA altered in the same individual) significantly predicts changes of the six metabolic analytical parameters of cardiovascular disease risk [Wilk's λ=0.97, F(6,555)=2.3, P=0.03].

Conclusions: BMI and BSA correlate with cardiovascular disease risk factor. They are superior to WC, WHtR, WHR, BF%, C-index, AVI and AT.

Keywords: Adultos jóvenes; Body composition; Cardiovascular risk; Composición corporal; Factores de riesgo; Riesgo cardiovascular; Risk factors; Young adults.