In this brief report, members of the “Obesity in Asia Collaboration” examined the ability of different overweight indicators to predict type 2 diabetes in a cohort of 155,122 individuals from 18 study populations in 10 countries of the Asia-Pacific region. Members studied whether there is a single measure of overweight that can be easily determined in clinical practice to facilitate earlier detection of type 2 diabetes in the general population. Despite marginal differences in the ability of body mass index (BMI), waist circumference, and waist-to-hip ratio (WHR) to discriminate for type 2 diabetes, the authors report that waist circumference, an anthropometric marker of central obesity, tends to perform slightly better than markers of overall obesity. They conclude that, in comparison with BMI and WHR, waist circumference measurement, when performed properly, is an accurate and easily performed measure. The authors also suggest that current recommended waist circumference cut-off points associated with health risks should be modified to 80 cm and 85 cm in Asian women and men, respectively, and to 85 cm and 99 cm in white women and men, respectively, in order to optimize discrimination of type 2 diabetes in these populations.
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