[Value of the waist-hip ratio in adolescent obesity]

Interrelationship between the body mass index (BMI), the waist-hip ratio (WHR) and serum concentration of immunoreactive insulin (IRI), C-peptide and sex hormone binding globulin (SHBG) was investigated in adolescents with obesity. Significant positive correlations were found between BMI and IRI, between BMI and C-peptide and there was a negative correlation between BMI and SHBG. WHR did not correlate with IRI, C-peptide and SHBG. IRI, C-peptide and SHBG in the group of central and gluteal obesity differentiated by WHR did not differ significantly. These results suggest that use of WHR to differentiate central and gluteal obesity does not help in adolescent period, possibly because of somatic changes of puberty.