Gender Differences in Cardiometabolic Risk Factors in Metabolically Healthy Normal Weight Adults with Central Obesity

We investigated whether metabolically healthy normal weight adults with central obesity display worse cardiometabolic profile compared with their centrally lean counterparts. This retrospective, cross-sectional study, comprised 1 135 subjects (64% females) aged 18-to-81 years, presenting <= 2 components of metabolic syndrome. They were classified as centrally lean (waist-to-height ratio (WHtR) <0.5 and waist circumference<80cm infemales and<94cm in males) orpresenting central obesity (WHtR >= 0.5, regardless of waist circumference). Data on blood pressure, glucose homeostasis, lipid profile, renal function, high-sensitive C-reactive protein (hsCRP), uric acid, adiponectin, leptin, and soluble receptorforadvanced glycation end products were compared between the groups, separately in males and females. 5.7% of males and 6.9% of females presented WHtR >= 0.5. Compared with centrally lean subjects, those with central obesity had higher BMI-adjusted fasting plasma glucose (p<0.001), and leptin levels (p<0.05); females also presented higher blood pressure (p<0.001), while males had higher hsCRP concentrations (p = 0.021). These changes associated with significantly higher BMI-adjusted oddsto present fasting plasma glucose >5.6mmol/l in both genders, higher odds to present hsCRP >3 mg/I in males, and those to present elevated blood pressure in females. Our analysis suggests that in metabolically healthy normal weight subjects WHtR >= 0.5 might indicate "early increased health risk".