Lipid accumulation product and metabolic syndrome: a population-based study in northern Iran, Amol

Purpose Lipid accumulation product (LAP) demonstrated a strong predictive accuracy for metabolic syndrome (MetS) in previous studies. This study was conducted to determine the predictive performance of LAP compared to obesity indexes. Moreover, the optimal cutoff point of LAP based on the study population waist circumference threshold was estimated in both men and women. Methods 5797 subjects with an average age of 44.77 +/- 16.77 years for men and 43.78 +/- 15.43 years for women were included in the present study. The ROC analysis was performed to assess the predictive accuracy of LAP in the diagnosis of MetS. The optimal cutoff point of LAP was determined according to maximal Youden index in both men and women. Results The optimal cutoff points determined for LAP were 49.71 (sensitivity = 85.2 %, specificity = 82.3 %) for women and 39.89 (sensitivity = 86 %, specificity = 79.6 %) for men. Based on the assigned cutoff points, the prevalence of high LAP was obtained 44.1 % in men and 45.1 % in women. LAP also showed a significantly higher predictive performance for MetS compared to obesity measures and also TG. Conclusion LAP has a strong and reliable diagnostic accuracy for MetS in Iranian population in the north of Iran. LAP showed a better predictability than other obesity indexes assessed in the present study.