ABDOMINAL ADIPOSITY AND CORONARY HEART-DISEASE IN WOMEN

Context.-Obesity is a well-established risk factor for coronary heart disease (CHD), but whether regional fat distribution contributes indep endently to risk remains unclear. Objective.-To compare waist-hip rati o (WHR) and waist circumference in determining risk of CHD in women. D esign and Setting.-Prospective cohort study among US female registered nurses participating in the Nurses' Health Study conducted between 19 86, when the nurses completed a questionnaire, and follow-up in June 1 994. Participants.-A total of 44 702 women aged 40 to 65 years who pro vided waist and hip circumferences and were free of prior CHD, stroke, or cancer in 1986. Main Outcome Measures.-Incidence of CHD (nonfatal myocardial infarction or CHD death). Results.-During 8 years of follow -up 320 CHD events (251 myocardial infarctions and 69 CHD deaths) were documented. Higher WHR and greater waist circumference were independe ntly associated with a significantly increased age-adjusted risk of CH D. After adjusting for body mass index (BMI) (defined as weight in kil ograms divided by the square of height in meters) and other cardiac ri sk factors, women with a WHR of 0.88 or higher had a relative risk (RR ) of 3.25 (95% confidence interval [CI], 1.78-5.95) for CHD compared w ith women with a WHR of less than 0.72. A waist circumference of 96.5 cm (38 in) or more was associated with an RR of 3.06 (95% CI, 1.54-6.1 0). The WHR and waist circumference were independently strongly associ ated with increased risk of CHD also among women with a BMI of 25 kg/m (2) or less. After adjustment for reported hypertension, diabetes, and high cholesterol level, a WHR of 0.76 or higher or waist circumferenc e of 76.2 cm (30 in) or more was associated with more than a 2-fold hi gher risk of CHD. Conclusions.-The WHR and waist circumference are ind ependently associated with risk of CHD in women.