PARIS, October 23 /PRNewswire/ --
- Results From the IDEA Study Highlight the Strong Links Between Abdominal Obesity and Both Cardiovascular Disease and Diabetes
Measuring your waist circumference can indicate the risk of you developing heart disease and especially diabetes, according to findings from an international study.(1)
http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20071023/278923
The IDEA study, published today in Circulation, the journal of the American Heart Association, confirms that a high waist measurement is strongly associated with cardiovascular disease (CVD) and diabetes. Analysis of the results showed that anywhere in the world, in both men and women, waist circumference and Body Mass Index (BMI) were both independently associated with CVD and diabetes. However, there was a stronger relationship between these and waist circumference than with BMI, in both men and women.1
CVD is the leading cause of death and has emerged as a prominent public health issue around the world.(2) One in 8 men and one in 17 women die from CVD before the age of 65 in European countries (or local statistic).(3) Diabetes, because of its rising prevalence worldwide, now ranks alongside smoking, high blood pressure and cholesterol disorders as a major risk factor for CVD.(4) Worldwide, around 58 percent of type 2 diabetes cases are attributable to excess body fat and this figure is predicted to double by 2030.4 Patients with diabetes have a more than two-fold increased risk of cardiovascular mortality than non-diabetic patients.(5)
"The IDEA study confirms to us the importance of the family doctor taking a patient's waist measurement alongside current measures such as BMI, blood pressure, blood glucose and blood lipid levels, in order to identify people who may be at increased cardiovascular and diabetes risk," said (local KOL). "The study provides clear evidence that waist circumference is an indicator for such risk, even in patients with normal weight."
Obesity is typically measured by BMI, which is measured by dividing your weight in kg by the square of you height in metres. BMI does not take into account the wide variation in body fat distribution in people.(6) Other recent findings have shown that abdominal obesity is a much better determinant of CVD risk than weight or BMI.(7)
Waist circumference is a simple and convenient measure of abdominal obesity and is an indicator of the hidden fat present deep within the abdomen. Too much of this "high risk" fat can interfere with normal metabolic function leading to high blood sugar and unhealthy cholesterol levels, which can increase the risk for heart disease and diabetes.(8)
The IDEA study involved nearly 170,000 people in 63 countries.
Notes to Editor
IDEA survey objectives and design
The IDEA study was an international non-interventional epidemiological cross-sectional study conducted in 63 countries across five continents. The study aimed to estimate the frequency of abdominal obesity, as measured by waist circumference, in an unselected population of consecutive patients consulting a randomly selected sample of primary care physicians on two pre-specified half-days. The study also estimated the association between abdominal obesity, CVD and diabetes.
The study utilised a complex methodology, taking a random sample of primary care physicians; representing all geographic areas within each participating country. This ensured that a good representation of patient data was collected. All patients aged between 18 and 80 years consulting their primary care physician on the two pre-specified half-days were asked for informed consent and invited to participate, irrespective of their reason for consultation. All screened patients not known to be pregnant were eligible for inclusion in the study.
The variables assessed and recorded were waist circumference (measured in centimetres or inches), height (cm/in) and body weight (kg/lbs). In addition, demographic data were collected on gender, age and highest level of education. The presence or absence of known CVD risk factors such as smoking status, diabetes (either type 1 or type 2 diabetes) and existing CVD (coronary heart disease, stroke or prior revascularisation) were also recorded.
Of 182,970 patients screened, 177,345 patients agreed to participate, a response rate of 97 percent. Data was analysed in 168,159 patients (69,409 men; 98,750 women) meeting the inclusion criteria and for whom full data records were obtained.
Note: The IDEA survey was sponsored by an unrestricted grant from sanofi-aventis.
Issued on Behalf of the IDEA Steering Committee and the Investigators.
References:
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(1) Haffner S on behalf of the IDEA Executive Committee. Waist circumference and Body Mass Index are both independently associated with cardiovascular disease. The International Day for the Evaluation of Abdominal Obesity (IDEA) survey. Circulation 2007; 116;1942-1951
(2) Myths and facts. (fact sheet on the Internet). World Heart Federation. Geneva c2004 (cited 7th February 2006). Available from: http://www.worldheart.org/call-to-action-myths-facts.php.
(3) Rayner M & Petersen S. European Cardiovascular Disease Statistics. British Heart Foundation Health Promotion Research Group. Volume 4 2004.
(4) International Diabetes Federation. (Factsheet on the Internet). Diabetes e-Atlas C2001. Brussels c 2003. (Last accessed 23 November 2006). Available at: http://www.eatlas.idf.org/webdata/docs/Atlas%202003-Summary.pdf.
(5) Haffner SM, Lehto S, Rönnemaa T, Pyörälä K, Laakso M. Mortality from coronary heart disease in subjects with type 2 diabetes and in nondiabetic subjects with and without prior myocardial infarction. N Engl J Med. 1998; 339:229-234.
(6) Zhu S, Wang Z, Heshka S, Heo M, Faith MS, Heymsfield SB. Waist circumference and obesity-associated risk factors among whites in the third National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey: clinical action thresholds. Am J Clin Nutr. 2002; 76:743-9.
(7) Yusuf S, Hawken S, Ôunpuu S, Dans T, Avezum A, Lanas F et al., Effect of potentially modifiable risk factors associated with myocardial infarction in 52 countries (the INTERHEART study): Case control study. The Lancet. 2004; 364: 937-952.
(8) Kershaw EE, Flier JS. Adipose Tissue as an Endocrine Organ. J Clin Endocrinol Metab. 2004. 89:2548-2556.
For media information, please contact: Ingrid Goerg-Armbrecht, Global Product Communication, Tel: +33-153-774625 Email: ingrid.goerg-armbrecht@sanofi-aventis.com
