Association between mid-upper arm circumference and cardiometabolic risk in Chinese population: a cross-sectional study

BMJ Open. 2019 Sep 8;9(9):e028904. doi: 10.1136/bmjopen-2019-028904.

Abstract

Objectives: Upper body fat has been associated with an unfavourable cardiometabolic risk. We aimed to investigate the associations between mid-upper arm circumference (MUAC), a novel indicator of upper body fat, and a wide spectrum of cardiometabolic risk profiles in Chinese population.

Design and setting: Cross-sectional analyses were performed using data from a well-defined community in 2014, Shanghai, China.

Participants: A total of 6287 Chinese adults (2310 men and 3977 women) aged 40 years or older.

Outcome measures: Multivariable logistic regression model was used to examine the associations of MUAC with cardiometabolic disorders including central obesity, diabetes, hypertension, hypertriglyceridaemia, low high-density lipoprotein (HDL) cholesterol and subclinical atherosclerosis.

Results: In the overall participants, after multivariable adjustment, each 1 SD (3.13 cm) increment in MUAC was positively associated with central obesity (OR 2.05; 95% CI 1.85 to 2.28), hypertension (OR 1.10; 95% CI 1.03 to 1.19) and low HDL cholesterol (OR 1.10; 95% CI 1.01 to 1.22). Multivariable-adjusted ORs for subclinical atherosclerosis were gradually increased across increasing quartiles of MUAC with the lowest quartile as reference (quartile 2: OR 1.31; 95% CI 1.09 to 1.58; quartile 3: OR 1.33; 95% CI 1.10 to 1.62; quartile 4: OR 1.45; 95% CI 1.16 to 1.80; p for trend=0.005). Similar but more prominent associations were observed among women than men. In addition, MUAC was significantly interacted with diabetes (p for interaction=0.04) and insulin resistance (p for interaction=0.01) on subclinical atherosclerosis.

Conclusion: A greater MUAC was positively associated with higher risks of several cardiometabolic disorders and subclinical atherosclerosis in Chinese adults.

Keywords: Chinese adults; cardiometabolic risk; mid-upper arm circumference; subclinical atherosclerosis; upper body fat.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Aged
  • Anthropometry
  • Arm / anatomy & histology*
  • Asymptomatic Diseases
  • Atherosclerosis / epidemiology*
  • Body Fat Distribution*
  • China / epidemiology
  • Cholesterol, LDL / blood
  • Cross-Sectional Studies
  • Diabetes Mellitus, Type 2 / epidemiology*
  • Diabetes Mellitus, Type 2 / metabolism
  • Female
  • Humans
  • Hypercholesterolemia / blood
  • Hypercholesterolemia / epidemiology*
  • Hypertension / epidemiology*
  • Hypertriglyceridemia / epidemiology*
  • Insulin Resistance
  • Logistic Models
  • Male
  • Middle Aged
  • Multivariate Analysis
  • Obesity, Abdominal / epidemiology*
  • Odds Ratio

Substances

  • Cholesterol, LDL