Gender differences of visceral fat area for predicting incident type 2 diabetes in Koreans.

AIMS: Visceral fat accumulation is known to be an independent risk factor for type 2 diabetes. We aimed to determine the optimal cutoff values of visceral fat area (VFA) for predicting incident type 2 diabetes in Koreans.

METHODS

Our study population consisted of 13,004 individuals initially free of type 2 diabetes the ages between 20 and 69 years, who underwent routine health examinations between January 2012 and December 2012 and returned for follow-up examinations between January 2016 and December 2016. VFA values were derived from bioelectrical impedance analysis (BIA) at baseline.

RESULTS

During a median follow-up of 4.02 years, a total of 481 (4.6% for men and 2.3% for women) incident cases of type 2 diabetes were identified. According to the receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve, the optimal VFA cutoff values for predicting incident type 2 diabetes were 118.8 cm2 in men and 82.6 cm2 in women, respectively. In a multivariable-adjusted model including obesity and glycemic status, the odds ratios (ORs) of VFA over 120 cm2 in men and 80 cm2 in women were 1.72 and 3.56, respectively.

CONCLUSIONS

Higher VFA at baseline was an independent risk factor for developing type 2 diabetes and the optimal VFA cutoff values were markedly different between men and women. Therefore, sex-specific reference values for visceral fat obesity such that men with a VFA ≥120 cm2 and women with a VFA ≥80 cm2 should be considered to predict incident type 2 diabetes.