Changes in Waist Circumference and the Incidence of Diabetes in Middle-Aged Men and Women
2011

Changes in Waist Circumference and the Incidence of Diabetes in Middle-Aged Men and Women

Sample size: 35743 publication 10 minutes Evidence: moderate

Author Information

Author(s): Berentzen Tina Landsvig, Jakobsen Marianne Uhre, Halkjaer Jytte, Tjønneland Anne, Sørensen Thorkild I. A., Overvad Kim

Primary Institution: Institute of Preventive Medicine, Copenhagen University Hospital, Copenhagen, Denmark

Hypothesis

What is the association between changes in waist circumference and the subsequent risk of diabetes in middle-aged men and women?

Conclusion

The study found that while waist circumference is positively associated with diabetes risk, changes in waist circumference were not significantly associated with diabetes risk in men and only weakly associated in women.

Supporting Evidence

  • Waist circumference was positively associated with diabetes in both sexes.
  • Changes in waist circumference were not associated with diabetes risk in men.
  • Changes in waist circumference were weakly positively associated with diabetes risk in women.

Takeaway

This study looked at how changes in waist size might affect the risk of getting diabetes. It found that for men, changes in waist size didn't really matter, and for women, it only had a small effect.

Methodology

The study analyzed data from 15,577 men and 20,066 women, assessing waist circumference and diabetes incidence over a follow-up period of 5.4 years using Cox proportional hazard models.

Potential Biases

There is a risk of bias due to potential undiagnosed diabetes affecting waist measurements.

Limitations

The study may have been affected by reverse causation, as undiagnosed diabetes could influence changes in waist circumference.

Participant Demographics

Middle-aged men and women, aged 50-64 years at baseline.

Statistical Information

P-Value

1.00 (0.94, 1.07) for men regarding changes in waist circumference

Confidence Interval

1.09 (1.04∶1.15) for women regarding changes in waist circumference

Statistical Significance

p<0.05

Digital Object Identifier (DOI)

10.1371/journal.pone.0023104

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