Mid-upper arm circumference as a simple tool for identifying central obesity and insulin resistance in type 2 diabetes.

BACKGROUND:Our research aimed to explore the correlation between mid-upper arm circumference (MUAC) and central obesity and insulin resistance (IR) in Chinese subjects with type 2 diabetes. MATERIALS:A total of 103 participants (60 men) were recruited in our study. MUAC was measured around the mid-arm between the shoulder and elbow. Waist circumference (WC) was obtained as central obesity parameter, and the IR parameter of Homeostasis Model Assessment-Insulin Resistance (HOMA-IR) was calculated. The subjects were divided into three groups according to the tertiles cut-points of MUAC level. RESULTS:Body mass index (BMI), WC, the percentages of central obesity and HOMA-IR were significantly higher in the groups with higher MUAC than those in the group with lower MUAC (all P < 0.05). Pearson analysis showed that MUAC was correlated with BMI, WC, waist-to-hip ratio (WHR), logHOMA-IR, low density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C), uric acid (UA) and high density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C) in all subjects. Multivariate linear regression analysis revealed that MUAC was independently associated with logHOMA-IR (β = 0.036, P