Obesity and risk factors of coronary heart disease in healthy Thais: a cross-sectional study.

ABSTRACT

Association between obesity and conventional risk factors for coronary artery disease is well established. Obesity is currently considered an independent risk for coronary artery disease. The relationship between body mass index (BMI) and fasting plasma lipids and glucose and blood pressures in non-obese subjects is not established. The authors studied relationships between BMI and lipids, and glucose, and blood pressure levels in healthy a population. The authors measured the weights and heights of 3,615 employees of a company during a routine yearly health examination. There were 1,250 males aged 31.3 +/- 6.6 and 2,365 females aged 29.3 +/- 4.9 years old. The average BMI for males and females were 23.5 +/- 3.6 and 20.1 +/- 3.0 respectively. The levels of total cholesterol (Chol), LDL-cholesterol, and triglyceride (TG), fasting plasma glucose (FPG) had a positive relationship with BMI (r = 0.22, 0.26, 0.41, 0.20; p < 0.001). HLD-cholesterol had a negative correlation with BMI (r = -0.36, p < 0.001). Both systolic (SBP) and diastolic (DBP) blood pressures had a positive correlation with BMI. The association persisted after all values were adjusted by age and sex. BMI has a significant positive relationship with the conventional risk factors for coronary artery disease and a negative relationship with HDL-cholesterol.