Proposed cut-off values of the waist circumference for metabolic syndrome based on visceral fat volume in a Japanese population

Aim/Introduction: Waist circumference (WC) is the most important parameter for diagnosis of metabolic syndrome. The present study was carried out to obtain optimal WC cut-off values for diagnosis of metabolic syndrome in a Japanese population based on the measurement of total intra-abdominal visceral fat volume (VFV), which could be expected to reflect visceral obesity more precisely than visceral fat area. Materials and Methods: A total of 405 Japanese persons undergoing health screening were investigated. visceral fat volume was calculated from the data in 700-800 computed tomography slices from the top of the liver to the floor of the pelvic cavity. Then, receiver operating characteristic analysis was used to determine the cut-off value of the VFV/height ratio. Subsequently, the corresponding WC value was obtained by linear regression analysis. Results: The cut-off value of the VFV/height ratio was 2,317 cm(3)/m in men and 1,425 cm(3)/m in women. The sensitivity and specificity of the ratio were 52.9 and 86.4% in men vs 63.4 and 82.2% in women, respectively. The corresponding cut-off value of WC was 86.0 cm in men and 80.9 cm in women. Conclusions: The proposed cut-off values of WC for metabolic syndrome are 85 cm in Japanese men and 80 cm in Japanese women.