Hip Circumference and the Risk of Type 2 Diabetes in Middle-Aged and Elderly Men and Women: The Shanghai Women and Shanghai Men's Health Studies

PurposeWe sought to determine the association of hip circumference with risk of type 2 diabetes in a relatively lean population.MethodsThe relationship between hip circumference for a given waist circumference or BMI and risk of type 2 diabetes was investigated in 56,100 men and 68,273 women, aged 40 to 74, from the Shanghai Men's Health Study and the Shanghai Women's Health Study. Cox analyses were used.ResultsOver an average of 4.0 years and 7.8 years of follow-up of the men and women, respectively, 2754 new diabetes cases (955 males; 1799 females) were documented. After adjustment for body mass index (BMI), waist circumference, and other potential confounders, the hazard ratios (HRs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) for type 2 diabetes in quintiles 2 to 5 compared with the first quintile of hip circumference were 0.95 (95% CI, 0.76-1.18), 0.72 (95% CI, 0.57-0.91), 0.83 (95% CI, 0.67-1.04), 0.78 (95% CI, 0.63-0.97), respectively, among men and 0.83 (95% CI, 0.72-0.96), 0.74 (95% CI, 0.64-0.86), 0.72 (95% CI, 0.62-0.84), and 0.65 (95% CI, 0.56-0.75) among women. This relationship was stronger for men and women with a BMI less than or equal to the median (23.6 kg/m2 for each gender; interaction p-value = .04 for men and .01 for women).ConclusionsA greater hip circumference for a given waist circumference and BMI is associated with a reduced risk of type 2 diabetes.