Relationship between BMI and body fatness in three European countries

Area of Science:

• Cardiovascular health
• Anthropometry
• Metabolic syndrome

Background:

• Body fatness and heart disease risk factors vary significantly across ethnicities for a given Body Mass Index (BMI).
• Limited data exists on these differences among Caucasian populations within Europe.
• Investigating anthropometric and risk factor variations among European Caucasian populations is crucial.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate anthropometric and cardio-metabolic risk factor differences between adults from Iceland, Spain, and Ireland.
• To understand how body composition and fat distribution influence health risks in different European Caucasian groups.

Main Methods:

• Secondary analysis of baseline data from the SEAFOODplus YOUNG intervention study.
• Inclusion of 324 participants (aged 20-40 years, BMI 27.5-32.5 kg/m²) from Iceland, Spain, and Ireland.
• Measurement of fasting glucose, insulin, blood lipids, and body composition; calculation of insulin resistance using the homeostasis model assessment (HOMA-IR).

Main Results:

• No significant differences in age or BMI were observed between Spanish, Irish, and Icelandic participants.
• Irish subjects exhibited significantly higher waist circumference and body fat percentage compared to Icelandic and Spanish participants.
• Irish participants displayed more unfavorable cardio-metabolic risk factors; however, waist circumference adjustments attenuated differences in total cholesterol, LDL, and triglycerides.

Conclusions:

• Despite comparable BMI and age, significant differences in cardio-metabolic risk factors exist among European Caucasian populations.
• Body fat distribution, particularly waist circumference, plays a crucial role in explaining these variations.
• Findings underscore the importance of considering population-specific body composition when assessing cardiovascular disease risk.