Performance of body mass index and body fat percentage in predicting metabolic syndrome risk factors in diabetic patients of Yazd, Iran

Background Body Fat percentage (BFP) and body mass index (BMI) are used to measure obesity-related metabolic syndrome risk. The present study aimed to determine the values of percent body Fat and body mass index for predicting metabolic syndrome risk factors in diabetic patients of Yazd, Iran. Methods A total of 1022 (499 males and 523 females) diabetic patients participated in this study. According to Asian BMI criteria, Overweight was diagnosed if a participant had a BMI >= 25 kg/m(2) (both male and female) or BFP >= 25% for male and >= 32% for female. Based on calculated BMI and BFP and after adjusting for age, height, weight and smoking habits, the participants were classified into group A (normal weight and Non-Fat), group B (overweight and Non-Fat), group C (normal weight and Fat), and group D (overweight and Fat). Results According to the results, the BMI of 23.4% were normal and BMI of 76.6% were overweight, respectively. Moreover, the BFP of 25.7 and 74.3% of the studied population were considered as Non-Fat and Fat, respectively. A strong relationship was found with respect to sex stratification; R-2 = 0.79. For men, BMI can be a better predictor of hypertension and hypertriglyceridemia than BFP. For women, BMI was a better predictor of hyperglycemia than BFP. Moreover, BFP can be regarded as a better predictor of hyperglycemia in male group, while it was a good predictor of hypertension and hypertriglyceridemia and hypo HDL than BMI, in female group. Conclusion Significant differences were observed between BMI and BFP to predict metabolic syndrome risk factors in diabetic patients across different sexes in our study population. In conclusion, both BMI and BFP should be considered in screening steps.