A Novel Metabolic Risk Classification System Incorporating Body Fat, Waist Circumference, and Muscle Strength

Area of Science:

• Metabolic Health
• Public Health
• Clinical Risk Assessment

Background:

• Global rise in metabolic diseases necessitates improved risk assessment beyond BMI and waist circumference.
• Traditional measures may not identify all individuals at risk for metabolic complications.
• Need for novel strategies incorporating multiple physiological markers for accurate metabolic risk stratification.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop and validate a novel metabolic risk classification system using body fat percentage (%BF), waist circumference (WC), and grip strength (GS).
• To improve metabolic risk stratification in Mexican adults.
• To evaluate the association of the new risk system with metabolic syndrome.

Main Methods:

• Cross-sectional study of 300 young Mexican adults (18-22 years) using %BF, WC, and GS for risk categorization.
• Validation using a retrospective cohort of 166 adults (18-65 years) with complete clinical data.
• Categorization into four risk groups: protective, low risk, increased risk, and high risk.

Main Results:

• Inclusion of grip strength significantly shifted risk distribution, increasing higher-risk categories (70.2% males, 69% females).
• Metabolic parameters (glucose, triglycerides, HDL, blood pressure) worsened progressively across risk categories (p < 0.001).
• The high-risk group showed a 28.23-fold increased odds of metabolic syndrome (p < 0.001), with no cases in protective/low-risk groups.

Conclusions:

• Integrating grip strength with %BF and WC substantially enhances metabolic risk stratification.
• The validated system effectively identifies at-risk individuals missed by traditional measures.
• This robust tool facilitates early detection and targeted interventions for improved metabolic health outcomes.