Association between Percent Body Fat and Low High-Density Lipoproteinemia in Middle-Aged Men in Korea.

Background: Obesity is a significant health risk factor for cardiovascular diseases. Dyslipidemia, defined as a low high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C) level, is associated with these risks. Recent bioelectrical impedance analysis (BIA) devices offer precise measurements of the percent body fat (PBF). We aimed to determine the association between PBF and HDL-C levels in middle-aged men in Korea.

Methods: We conducted a cross-sectional sstudy of men aged 40-65 years who visited a health examination center. Body composition was analyzed using BIA. Health habits were assessed using a self-administered questionnaire. The participants were divided into four groups based on their PBF: group 1 (<21%), group 2 (21%-23.99%), group 3 (24%-28.99%), and group 4 (≥29%). Logistic regression was used to obtain the odds ratio (OR) between the PBF group and the low HDL-C level and adjusted for other variables.

Results: In this study, 2,685 men were analyzed. The number of individuals diagnosed with low HDL-C levels increased significantly as the group-specific PBF increased. Group 4 showed a 5.5-fold greater association with low HDL-C compared to group 1 (P<0.01), whereas group 3 and group 2 showed an OR of 4.38 and 2.95 (P<0.01 and P<0.01), respectively.

Conclusion: These results suggest that if middle-aged men are able to decrease their body fat by <5%, their HDL-C levels will increase. We suggest that 3%-5% PBF is a useful guideline for general body fat reduction in Korean middle- aged men in primary care.