Association between novel anthropometric parameters and cardiovascular risk factors among obese adults

Overweight and obesity are common problems in developed countries and becoming increasingly problematic in developing countries. The worldwide prevalence of obesity has more than doubled, an estimated 39% of the world’s adult population aged over 18 years were overweight and 13% were obese over the past 3 decades. Obesity is defined as an abnormal or excessive accumulation of body fat that may impair health. Obesity is the causal component in the pathogenesis of type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM), cardiovascular diseases (CVD), and several cancers. However, obesity is preventable and early detection may play an important role in overcoming the condition and associated metabolic complications. The development of these comorbidities is proportionate to BMI and obesity is considered as an independent risk factor for cardiovascular events. Although obesity is generally accepted as a risk factor for cardiovascular events, some studies showed that obesity could decrease mortality. This association seems blunted in some chronic condition with obese individuals presenting with a survival advantage over their counterparts, a phenomenon termed the “obesity paradox.” The use of body mass index (BMI) as a health risk phenotype has several limitations because BMI does not accurately depict different components of body composition and is therefore unable to predict the prognostic effect of individual tissues. Other widely used anthropometric indices of central obesity are waist circumference (WC), waist to hip ratio (WHR), waist to height ratio (WHtR), and others. Each index has both advantages and disadvantages. Hitherto, no anthropometric measurement for obesity satisfies the criteria of being accurate, precise, accessible, and widely acceptable. The purpose of this review was to compare and evaluate the associations and the optimal cut-off values between different novel anthropometric parameters and cardiovascular risk factors among obesity adults.