Large mid-upper arm circumference is associated with metabolic syndrome in middle-aged and elderly individuals: a community-based study

• Published in: BMC endocrine disorders Vol. 20; no. 1; pp. 78 - 8
• Main Authors: Shi, Jie, Yang, Zhen, Niu, Yixin, Zhang, Weiwei, Li, Xiaoyong, Zhang, Hongmei, Lin, Ning, Gu, Hongxia, Wen, Jie, Ning, Guang, Qin, Li, Su, Qing
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: London BioMed Central 03.06.2020; BioMed Central Ltd; BMC
• Subjects: Adiponectin; Adiponectin - blood; Adult; Aged; Alcohol; Arm - anatomy & histology; Arm circumference; Atherosclerosis; Blood Pressure; Body Mass Index; Central obesity; Cholesterol; Cholesterol, HDL - blood; Diabetes; Diabetes mellitus; Educational attainment; Endocrinology; Epidemiology; Epidemiology of Endocrine Disorders; Fatty acids; Female; Gender; Glucose; High density lipoprotein; Humans; Hypertension; Insulin; Insulin - blood; Insulin Resistance; Male; Mass Screening; Medicine; Medicine & Public Health; Metabolic Diseases; Metabolic disorders; Metabolic syndrome; Metabolic Syndrome - blood; Metabolic Syndrome - diagnosis; Metabolic Syndrome - physiopathology; Mid-upper arm circumference; Middle age; Middle Aged; Obesity; Odds Ratio; Organ Size; Overweight; Research Article; rology; Statistical analysis; Studies; Subcutaneous fat; Subcutaneous Fat - anatomy & histology; Task forces; Triglycerides; Triglycerides - blood; Waist Circumference; Women; China; Japan; Subcutaneous fat; Metabolic syndrome; Mid-upper arm circumference; Central obesity
• ISSN: 1472-6823; 1472-6823
• DOI: 10.1186/s12902-020-00559-8

Background The mid-upper arm circumference (MUAC) is a proxy for subcutaneous fat in the upper body and is a reliable screening measure for identifying individuals with abnormal regional fat distribution. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the association between MUAC and metabolic syndrome (MetS) in middle-aged and elderly individuals. Methods We measured the MUAC in a cross-sectional sample with a total of 9787 subjects aged 40 years and older. The measurement of MUAC is performed on the right arm using a non-elastic tape held midway between the acromion and the olecranon processes in duplicate, with the arm hanging loosely at the side of the body. The MetS was defined according to the Joint Statement of the International Diabetes Federation Task Force on Epidemiology and Prevention. Results MUAC was positively correlated with waist circumference (r = 0.437, P  < 0.001), BMI (r = 0.334, P < 0.001), fasting insulin (r = 0.348, P  < 0.001), HOMA-IR (r = 0.134, P  < 0.001), triglycerides (r = 0.138, P < 0.001), SBP (r = 0.124, P < 0.001), and DBP (r = 0.123, P < 0.001), and inversely correlated with adiponectin (r = − 0.147, P < 0.001) and HDL-cholesterol (r = − 0.176, P < 0.001) after adjusting for age and gender. Compared with the lowest quartile group, the odds ratios were substantially higher for MetS (OR 1.77; 95% CI 1.51–2.09, P for trend< 0.001) in the highest MUAC quartile group after adjustment for potential cofounder. Conclusion Large mid-upper arm circumference is significantly associated with metabolic syndrome in middle-aged and elderly individuals.