Hypertriglyceridemic waist phenotype: association with metabolic abnormalities in adolescents

This study aimed to identify the prevalence of hypertriglyceridemic waist (HTW) phenotype, and to evaluate its association with metabolic abnormalities in adolescents of low socioeconomic status.

This was a cross-sectional study with a random sample of 1,076 adolescents between 11 and 17 years, of both genders, from public schools. The participants underwent anthropometric measurements (weight, height, and waist circumference), and levels of total cholesterol, low-density-lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C), high-density-lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C), non-HDL cholesterol, triglyceride (TG), and fasting glucose were measured. Information regarding the socioeconomic status of the participants' families was obtained. The HTW phenotype was defined by the simultaneous presence of increased waist circumference (≥ 90(th) percentile for age and gender) and serum triglyceride levels (≥ 100mg/dL). A logistic regression analysis was used to evaluate the associations of interest.

The prevalence of HTW phenotype was 7.2% among the adolescents, being higher in the presence of obesity (63.4%) and high levels of non-HDL cholesterol (16.6%) and LDL-C (13.7%). The bivariate analysis indicated that, of the metabolic variables, only blood glucose was not associated with the HTW phenotype. Multivariate analysis adjusted for age and gender indicated that the HTW phenotype was positively associated with high non-HDL cholesterol (odds ratio: 7.0; 95% CI: 3.9-12.6) and low HDL-C levels (odds ratio: 2.7; 95% CI: 1.5-4.8).

This study demonstrated that the HTW phenotype was associated with an atherogenic lipid profile, and this phenotype is suggested as a screening tool to identify adolescents with metabolic alterations.