Fat-to-muscle Ratio: A New Anthropometric Indicator for Predicting Metabolic Syndrome in the Han and Bouyei Populations from Guizhou Province, China

Objective To investigate the prevalence and possible factors influencing metabolic syndrome in people from Guizhou Province and to explore the predictive value of the fat-to-muscle ratio in diagnosing metabolic syndrome. Methods A multistage stratified sampling method was used in this cross-sectional study of 20-80 years old Han and Bouyei populations from Guizhou Province, southwestern China, from October-December 2012. The study included 4,553 cases of metabolic syndrome, that was defined according to 2005 International Diabetes Federation criteria. The receiver operating characteristic curve was used for determining the sensitivity, specificity, and predictive ability of the fat-to-muscle ratio for the diagnosis of metabolic syndrome. Results The age-standardized prevalence of metabolic syndrome was 11.38%（men： 9.76%; women： 12.72%） for Han and 4.78%（men： 4.43%; women： 5.30%） for Bouyei populations. In Guizhou Province, the cut-off value for the men fat-to-muscle ratio was 0.34, the area under the curve was 0.95, and the sensitivity and specificity were 0.94 and 0.85, respectively. The cut-off value for the women fat-to-muscle ratio was 0.55, the area under the curve was 0.91, and the sensitivity and specificity were 0.93 and 0.79, respectively. Conclusion The fat-to-muscle ratio is highly predictive of metabolic syndrome in Guizhou Province, and a useful reference indicator.

Time-Lag Effect of Dietary Fiber and Fat Intake Ratio on Japanese Colon Cancer Mortality

The daily intake of total dietary fiber (TDF) was evaluated from data of the National Nutrition Survey (NNS) in Japan for 41 years since 1947. An interrelationship between the nutrient intake, including TDF, and the mortality from colon cancer in Japanese people was calculated by a simple correlation coefficient and time-series correlation coeffcient.TDF intake per capita decreased rapidly from 27.4 g in 1947 to 15.8 g in 1963, and subsequently decreased by a lesser rate to 15.3 g in 1987. Fat intake increased rapidly from 18.0 g in 1950 to 56.6 g in 1987.The age-adjusted mortality from colon cancer shows a significant positive correlation with both the intakes of animal protein and of total fat, and the fat energy ratio. A time-series analysis indicates that the mortality from colon cancer was negatively correlated with TDF with a 15-27 year delay, the maximum correlation existing with a 23-year lag (r = -0.947). The TDF intake was less than 17.9 g in 1965. At the same time, the mortality from colon cancer increased rapidly. A fat/TDF ratio above 3.0 resulted in a rapid increase in colon cancer mortality.The non-adjusted mortality from colon cancer has much the same interrelationship with TDF and fat intake as the adjusted figures. It is suggested that the cause of the increased mortality from colon cancer in Japan is positively related to the increased intake of fat and protein. In addition, the decrease in TDF intake has accelerated the mortality of colon cancer after a delay of 23-24 years. The importance of fat/TDF as a nutritional criterion for the incidence of colon cancer needs to be better recognized