A study of 168 obesity-clinic patients finds that, neck circumference(NC)cutoffs of 36 cm or greater in females and 39 cm or more in males is correlated with criteria for the metabolic syndrome. In women more than men, neck circumference had greater predictive value for some measures than did waist circumference(WC).

The aim of this study was to evaluate whether NC independently contributes to the prediction of metabolic risk beyond WC and to compare the two anthropometric measures in a population of obese subjects.

A total of 168 obese subjects (BMI≥30kg/m2) recruited from 2013-2014 in a University Hospital setting participated in the study. Anthropometric measures included WC, NC, weight,and height. Biochemical measurements included HbA1c, liver enzymes, uric acid (UA), lipids. Standard OGTT with immunoreactive insulin (IRI) measurement were performed where Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus (T2DM) was not already diagnosed.

Researcher Zdravko Kamenov,( MD, PhD, DMSc, Yavor Assyov, DM ) said “WC is an established method for evaluating abdominal fat but it has several disadvantages particularly in severely-obese individuals. NC contributes to metabolic risk evaluation beyond WC and is easier to measure. NC is an anthropometric parameter that might be of greater value than WC as an indicator for metabolic risk.”

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