Using different anthropometric indices of obesity as predictors for type 2 diabetes mellitus in older adults

Background and aims

There is some evidence that anthropometric measurements can be associated with the risk of type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM). Nevertheless, there is no comprehensive consensus on which anthropometric index is the best for evaluating the risk and predicting T2DM, especially in older adults. For this reason, we compared the performance of six indices for detecting T2DM in a population of Colombian older adults.

Methods and results

We conducted a cross-sectional study of 3453 older adults (≥60 years old; 2023 women), analysing demographic characteristics, biochemical markers, and anthropometric indices including body mass index (BMI), waist circumference (WC), waist-to-height ratio (WHtR), adiposity index (VAI), conicity index (C-Index), and body roundness index (BRI). T2DM was defined as fasting plasma glucose ≥126 mg/dl (≥7.0 mmol/l). All the anthropometric indices correlated significantly with the presence of T2DM. An analysis of the receiver operating characteristic curve showed that for men the VAI (AUC = 0.71; moderate ES (0.78); OR = 4.13), BMI (AUC = 0.68; moderate ES (0.68); OR = 3.38), and WC (AUC = 0.68; moderate ES (0.68); OR = 3.38) are the best predictors for identifying T2DM. For women, however, the WC (AUC = 0.63; ES = 0.46; OR = 2.34) and C-Index (AUC = 0.63; ES = 0.46; OR = 2.34) were better indicators for predicting T2DM. Cut-off points for all the anthropometric indices were provided.

Conclusions

In summary, the VAI, BMI, and WC in men, and WC and the C-Index in women have a moderate discriminating power for detecting T2DM in Colombian older adults, evidencing that these anthropometric indices are suitable screening tools for use in the elderly.