RELATION BETWEEN ANTHROPOMETRIC MEASURES OF FAT DISTRIBUTION AND CARDIOVASCULAR RISK-FACTORS IN OVERWEIGHT PREMENOPAUSAL AND POSTMENOPAUSALWOMEN

This study compared three different measures of central adiposity: wai st-to-hip ratio (WHR), waist-to-height ratio (WSHT), and waist circumf erence with cardiovascular risk factors, including serum lipoproteins and blood pressure in overweight pre- (n = 115) and postmenopausal (n = 46) women. Premenopausal women had a mean age of 35.6 +/- 6.79 y and a mean body mass index (BMI; in kg/m(2)) of 37.08 +/- 6.01. Postmenop ausal women had a mean age of 52.5 +/- 8.19 y and a mean BMI of 38.75 +/- 6.9. Although several correlations between central adiposity and s erum lipoproteins and blood pressure were significant, they were unaff ected by menopausal status. There were also no significant differences among the three measures of central adiposity in relation to cardiova scular risk factors within premenopausal and postmenopausal groups. An analysis of covariance controlling for BMI showed that after stratify ing WSHT into tertiles, a significant interaction of WSHT group by men opausal status was found for systolic blood pressure (SEP) (P = 0.019) . Postmenopausal women had a significantly greater SEP than pre menopa usal women in the lowest and highest tertiles (P = 0.001); however, th is pattern was not shown in the middle WSHT tertile. The relation betw een central adiposity and cardiovascular risk factors appears to be un changed after menopause, except when WSHT is used to indicate SEP. Bec ause increased central adiposity may also indicate an increase in card iovascular risk factors, measurements of central adiposity can be used to supplement the routine clinical evaluation of cardiovascular risk factors in both pre-and postmenopausal overweight women.