Association between the Hypertriglyceridemic Waist Phenotype, Prediabetes, and Diabetes Mellitus in Rural Chinese Population: A Cross-Sectional Study.

BACKGROUND: The objective was to evaluate the association of the hypertriglyceridemic waist (HTGW) phenotype with prediabetes and diabetes (DM) in rural Chinese population.

METHODS: In a cross-sectional study, 11,579 adults (5361 men and 6218 women) aged 35 years or older were recruited from rural areas of China. Anthropometric measurements, laboratory examinations and self-reported information were collected by trained personnel. The HTGW phenotype was defined as elevated triglycerides and elevated waist circumference. We used logistic regression analysis to evaluate the associations of interest.

RESULTS: Adults with the HTGW phenotype had a significantly higher prevalence of prediabetes and diabetes than those without the HTGW phenotype. Compared with the normal waist-normal triglycerides (NWNT) group, those in the HTGW group had a higher adjusted odds ratio of diabetes (OR: 2.10; 95% CI: 1.62-2.73). The association for diabetes was stronger for men (OR: 2.27; 95% CI: 1.52-3.40) than for women (OR: 1.86; 95% CI: 1.32-2.63). However, multivariate analysis indicated that the HTGW phenotype was not associated with prediabetes.

CONCLUSIONS: This study demonstrated that the HTGW phenotype was associated with diabetes in a large rural Chinese population, and suggested this phenotype as a simple screening tool to identify adults with cardiometabolic conditions.