Different measurements of waist circumference and sagittal abdominal diameter and their relationship with cardiometabolic risk factors in elderly men.

Background Measures of central adiposity such as waist circumference (PC) and sagittal abdominal diameter (SAD) are better predictors of metabolic complications than measures of total body fat. Thus, this study aimed to assess the relationship of different measures of WC and SAD with cardiometabolic risk factors in elderly men. Methods This is a cross-sectional study that included 69 men (aged 60–92 years old) enrolled in the Family Health Program of Vicosa, Minas Gerais, Brazil. The evaluations comprised anthropometric, biochemical and haemodynamic measurements. The WC (i.e. umbilical level; the narrowest waist; immediately above the iliac crests; and the midpoint between the last rib and iliac crest) and SAD (i.e. the narrowest point between the last rib and the iliac crest; higher abdominal diameter; umbilical level; and the midpoint between the iliac crests) were measured at different anatomical sites. Statistical analysis consisted of correlation coefficients between measures of abdominal adiposity and cardiometabolic risk factors. Results The strongest correlations were between the WC measured at the narrowest waist and triglycerides (TG), fasting blood glucose (FBG) and high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C) levels, and between the SAD measured at the midpoint between the iliac crests and TG, FBG and HDL-C. Conclusions SAD measured at the midpoint between the iliac crests and WC measured at the narrowest waist showed the best relationships with cardiometabolic risk factors in elderly men.