This prospective study was conducted to compare the association between waist-to-height ratio, waist circumference and waist-to-hip ratio and coronary risk. The cohort included 10 602 men, aged 50-59 years, from the Prospective Epidemiological Study of Myocardial Infarction (PRIME). During the 10 years of follow-up, 659 incident coronary events (CHD) were recorded. The results of the present study showed that waist-to-height ratio was positively associated with coronary risk and that this association was slightly more pronounced than waist circumference and waist-to-hip ratio. Moreover, the association remained statistically significant for waist-to-height ratio after adjustment for history of diabetes, systolic and diastolic blood pressure, triglycerides and HDL cholesterol, whereas it was no longer significant for waist-to-hip ratio, waist circumference and body mass index. The authors explain the results by suggesting that the waist-to-height ratio might be a better indicator of visceral adipose tissue than waist circumference. These findings suggest that the waist-to-height ratio is a marginally better predictor of coronary risk, but that the magnitude of difference is probably not clinically important.
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