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To the Editor: The article by Dr Rexrode and colleagues¹ confirms earlier reports² that waist circumference and waist-hip ratio (WHR) are important indicators of cardiovascular risk even after adjustment for body mass index (BMI). However, exactly what these circumferences and ratios reflect in terms of body composition and fat distribution after they are adjusted for age and BMI remains poorly understood. A correct interpretation of such data is particularly important if actions are to be taken with respect to risk reduction or treatment.

We present correlations between waist circumference and WHR with more direct measures of body composition and fat distribution in 489 women recruited from the general population in the region of Quebec City (Table 1). A wide range of ages (mean [SD], 38 [14] years; range, 18-74 years) and degrees of overweight (mean [SD] BMI, 25.8 [6.0] kg/m²; range, 17-50 kg/m²) are represented in . . . [Full Text of this Article]