Correlations between obesity indices and cardiometabolic risk factors in obese subgroups in women with severe obesity: A multicenter, cross-sectional study

Background To investigate associations between degrees of obesity using correlations between obesity indices and cardiometabolic risk factors in women. Methods BMI, waist circumference (WC), fasting insulin, fasting glucose, lipids, and visceral adipose tissue (VAT) area using computed tomographic images were measured in 113 women with obesity. Correlations between obesity indices and cardiometabolic risk factors were analyzed in subgroups defined using sequential obesity indices. Results Mean BMI and WC were 29.6 kg/m² and 92.8 cm. BMI showed significant correlations with all five cardiometabolic risk factors until the BMI cut-off point reached 29 kg/m², but when it exceeded 30 kg/m², correlations no longer existed. WC was significantly correlated with all five cardiometabolic risk factors up to a value of 85 cm, but when WC exceeded 90 cm, correlations no longer existed. Conclusions Our cross-sectional study suggest that significant correlations between obesity indices and cardiometabolic risk factors may disappear, when obesity cut-off points exceed certain limits in women.