Can anthropometric risk factors important in Sasang constitution be used to detect metabolic syndrome?

IntroductionSasang constitutional medicine defines the different body shapes associated with various constitutions. The aim of this study was to reveal whether the anthropometric risk factors important in Sasang constitution can be used to detect metabolic syndrome (MS).MethodsEligible subjects (481 males and 839 females) between 40 and 60 years were recruited from 23 Korean medical clinics. SC types were divided into the Tae-eumin (TE) type and the non-TE type for males and females respectively. Body mass index (BMI), waist circumference (WC), and waist-to-hip ratio were measured in order to define MS. Pearson's correlation coefficients were calculated and logistic regression analysis was used to determine odds ratios (ORs; with 95% confidence intervals) for MS. Receiver operating characteristic analysis was conducted to determine the appropriate boundaries of anthropometric index for identifying MS.ResultsAll anthropometric measurements were highly associated with each other (p < 0.001). All high-value measurement groups had significantly higher ORs for MS compared to low-value groups (p < 0.001). WC was the best predictor for MS in both the TE (AUC 0.757, 95% CI 0.69–0.82, optimal cut-off 89.9 cm) and non-TE (AUC 0.751, 95% CI 0.68–0.82, optimal cut-off 88.6 cm) males. The best predictors for MS risk were BMI (AUC 0.721, 95% CI 0.67–0.78, optimal cut-off 25.2 kg/m2), and WC (AUC 0.814, 95% CI 0.77–0.85, optimal cut-off 80.6 cm) in the TE and non-TE females respectively.ConclusionsResults suggest that WC may be a good predictive factor for detecting MS, but BMI seems better for TE type females.