Original Articles
Copyright ©2011 Baishideng Publishing Group Co., Limited. All rights reserved.
World J Diabetes. Jan 15, 2011; 2(1): 8-15
Published online Jan 15, 2011. doi: 10.4239/wjd.v2.i1.8
Excessive 5-year weight gain predicts metabolic syndrome development in healthy middle-aged adults
Yu-Cheng Lin, Jong-Dar Chen, Pau-Chung Chen
Yu-Cheng Lin, The Department of Occupational Medicine, En Chu Kong Hospital, New Taipei City, 23742, Taiwan, China
Yu-Cheng Lin, School of Medicine, Fu Jen Catholic University, New Taipei City 24205, Taiwan, China
Jong-Dar Chen, Department of Family Medicine, Shin Kong Wu Ho-Su Memorial Hospital, Taipei 111, Taiwan, China
Yu-Cheng Lin, Pau-Chung Chen, Institute of Occupational Medicine and Industrial Hygiene, College of Public Health, National Taiwan University, Taipei 100, Taiwan, China
Author contributions: Lin YC collected and analyzed data; Lin YC and Chen JD interpreted data; Lin YC drafted the article; Chen JD revised critically for important intellectual content; and Chen PC finally approved the version to be published.
Correspondence to: Pau-Chung Chen, Professor, Institute of Occupational Medicine and Industrial Hygiene, College of Public Health, National Taiwan University, No. 17, Xu-Zhou Road, Taipei 10020, Taiwan, China. pchen@ntu.edu.tw
Telephone: +886-02-3366-8088 Fax: +886-02-2341-8570
Received: August 31, 2010
Revised: December 1, 2010
Accepted: December 8, 2010
Published online: January 15, 2011
Abstract

AIM: To quantitatively examine the impacts of an easy-to-measure parameter - weight gain - on metabolic syndrome development among middle-aged adults.

METHODS: We conducted a five-year interval observational study. A total of 1384 middle-aged adults not meeting metabolic syndrome (MetS) criteria at the initial screening were included in our analysis. Baseline data such as MetS-components and lifestyle factors were collected in 2002. Body weight and MetS-components were measured in both 2002 and 2007. Participants were classified according to proximal quartiles of weight gain (WG) in percentages (%WG ≤ 1%, 1% < %WG ≤ 5%, 5% < %WG ≤ 10% and %WG > 10%, defined as: control, mild-WG, moderate-WG and severe-WG groups, respectively) at the end of the follow-up. Multivariate models were used to assess the association between MetS outcome and excessive WG in the total population, as well as in both genders.

RESULTS: In total, 175 (12.6%) participants fulfilled MetS criteria within five years. In comparison to the control group, mild-WG adults had an insignificant risk for MetS development while adults having moderate-WG had a 3.0-fold increased risk for progression to MetS [95% confidence interval (CI), 1.8-5.1], and this risk was increased 5.4-fold (95% CI, 3.0-9.7) in subjects having severe-WG. For females having moderate- and severe-WG, the risk for developing MetS was 3.6 (95% CI, 1.03-12.4) and 5.5 (95% CI, 1.4-21.4), respectively. For males having moderate- and severe-WG, the odds ratio for MetS outcome was respectively 3.0 (95% CI, 1.6-5.5) and 5.2 (95% CI, 2.6-10.2).

CONCLUSION: For early-middle-aged healthy adults with a five-year weight gain over 5%, the severity of weight gain is related to the risk for developing metabolic syndrome.

Keywords: Excess weight gain; Metabolic syndrome; Middle-aged adults; Follow-up; Worker population