General, abdominal adiposity linked to mortality in Mexicans

(HealthDay)—General and abdominal adiposity are associated with mortality in a population of Mexican adults, according to a study published online Aug. 13 in the Annals of Internal Medicine.

Louisa Gnatiuc, from the University of Oxford in the United Kingdom, and colleagues examined the causal relevance of adiposity to mortality in Mexican adults in a prospective study involving 115,400 adults aged 35 years to <75 years at recruitment and followed for 14 years.

The researchers observed a J-shaped correlation for body mass index (BMI) at recruitment with all-cause mortality, with the minimum at 25 to <27.5 kg/m². Above 25 kg/m², there was a 30 percent increase in mortality for each 5-kg/m² increase in BMI (hazard ratio, 1.30). The correlation was stronger at ages 40 to <60 years than at ages 60 to <75 years (hazard ratios, 1.40 and 1.24, respectively). Sex, smoking, and other confounders did not materially affect the correlation. Similarly, strong associations were seen for mortality with BMI and waist-to-hip ratio; each was attenuated only slightly by adjustment for the other. There was a strong correlation for waist circumference with mortality, which persisted even after adjustment for BMI and hip circumference.

"We also found that given BMI, the waist-to-hip ratio remains of substantial additional relevance to mortality, suggesting that central obesity is particularly harmful," the authors write.

Several authors disclosed financial ties to the pharmaceutical industry.

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