The objective of this study was to compare the association between ethnic-specific waist circumference cutpoints and risk of type 2 diabetes between South Asians and Europids. Data were derived from two national, longitudinal cohort studies which included 5,515 Europid and 2,214 South Asian participants. Results revealed that the estimated annual diabetes incidence for an individual of 50 years was 0.6% and 0.4% in Europid men and women, respectively, and 5.8% and 2.1% in South Asian men and women, respectively at the currently recommended waist circumference cutpoints (94 cm and 90 cm in Europid and South Asian men; 80 cm in both Europid and South Asian women). Five-year incidence of diabetes (for a 50-year old) was ≈11-fold higher for South Asian men and ≈6-fold higher for South Asian women at any level of waist circumference, with a 1% annual incidence of diabetes occuring at a waist circumference which was 35-40 cm greater in Europids compared to South Asians for both men (103 cm vs. 65 cm) and women (99 cm vs. 64 cm). Thus, these results indicate that the difference between recommended waist circumference cutpoints in the Europid and South Asian populations does not lead to similar diabetes risk at these cutpoints and that the currently recommended cutpoints for South Asians should be lower for both men and women.
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