Association of relative fat mass (RFM) index with diabetes-related mortality and heart disease mortality

Abstract Although studies have examined the association of the Relative Fat Mass (RFM, a novel anthropometric index used as a surrogate for whole-body fat percentage) with all-cause mortality, the association of RFM with diabetes-related mortality and heart disease mortality has not been thoroughly...

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Main Authors: Orison O. Woolcott, Edgar Samarasundera, Alicia K. Heath
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Nature Portfolio 2024-12-01
Series:Scientific Reports
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Online Access:https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-024-81497-6
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author Orison O. Woolcott
Edgar Samarasundera
Alicia K. Heath
author_facet Orison O. Woolcott
Edgar Samarasundera
Alicia K. Heath
author_sort Orison O. Woolcott
collection DOAJ
description Abstract Although studies have examined the association of the Relative Fat Mass (RFM, a novel anthropometric index used as a surrogate for whole-body fat percentage) with all-cause mortality, the association of RFM with diabetes-related mortality and heart disease mortality has not been thoroughly investigated. In addition, no study has compared the associations of RFM and waist circumference (a surrogate for intra-abdominal fat) with cause-specific mortality and all-cause mortality. In the present study, we addressed these knowledge gaps. We used data from the US National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) 1999–2018. NHANES III was used for validation. Analyses included 46,535 adults (mean age 46.5 years). During a median follow-up time of 9.7 years, 6,101 participants died (743 from diabetes; 1,514 from heart disease). Compared with BMI and WC, RFM was more strongly associated with diabetes-related mortality in both women and men, adjusting for age, ethnicity, education, and smoking status. All anthropometric measures were similarly strongly associated with heart disease mortality and all-cause mortality. RFM showed greater predictive discrimination of mortality. Similar results were found in NHANES III (n = 14,448). In conclusion, RFM is strongly associated with diabetes-related mortality, heart disease mortality, and all-cause mortality, and outperforms conventional adiposity measures for prediction of mortality.
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spelling doaj-art-ccf564cebede48d5824991f640175a312025-08-20T02:39:35ZengNature PortfolioScientific Reports2045-23222024-12-0114111210.1038/s41598-024-81497-6Association of relative fat mass (RFM) index with diabetes-related mortality and heart disease mortalityOrison O. Woolcott0Edgar Samarasundera1Alicia K. Heath2School of Public Health, Faculty of Medicine, Imperial College LondonSchool of Public Health, Faculty of Medicine, Imperial College LondonSchool of Public Health, Faculty of Medicine, Imperial College LondonAbstract Although studies have examined the association of the Relative Fat Mass (RFM, a novel anthropometric index used as a surrogate for whole-body fat percentage) with all-cause mortality, the association of RFM with diabetes-related mortality and heart disease mortality has not been thoroughly investigated. In addition, no study has compared the associations of RFM and waist circumference (a surrogate for intra-abdominal fat) with cause-specific mortality and all-cause mortality. In the present study, we addressed these knowledge gaps. We used data from the US National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) 1999–2018. NHANES III was used for validation. Analyses included 46,535 adults (mean age 46.5 years). During a median follow-up time of 9.7 years, 6,101 participants died (743 from diabetes; 1,514 from heart disease). Compared with BMI and WC, RFM was more strongly associated with diabetes-related mortality in both women and men, adjusting for age, ethnicity, education, and smoking status. All anthropometric measures were similarly strongly associated with heart disease mortality and all-cause mortality. RFM showed greater predictive discrimination of mortality. Similar results were found in NHANES III (n = 14,448). In conclusion, RFM is strongly associated with diabetes-related mortality, heart disease mortality, and all-cause mortality, and outperforms conventional adiposity measures for prediction of mortality.https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-024-81497-6Abdominal obesityDiabetes mortalityGeneral obesityHeart disease mortalityRelative fat mass
spellingShingle Orison O. Woolcott
Edgar Samarasundera
Alicia K. Heath
Association of relative fat mass (RFM) index with diabetes-related mortality and heart disease mortality
Scientific Reports
Abdominal obesity
Diabetes mortality
General obesity
Heart disease mortality
Relative fat mass
title Association of relative fat mass (RFM) index with diabetes-related mortality and heart disease mortality
title_full Association of relative fat mass (RFM) index with diabetes-related mortality and heart disease mortality
title_fullStr Association of relative fat mass (RFM) index with diabetes-related mortality and heart disease mortality
title_full_unstemmed Association of relative fat mass (RFM) index with diabetes-related mortality and heart disease mortality
title_short Association of relative fat mass (RFM) index with diabetes-related mortality and heart disease mortality
title_sort association of relative fat mass rfm index with diabetes related mortality and heart disease mortality
topic Abdominal obesity
Diabetes mortality
General obesity
Heart disease mortality
Relative fat mass
url https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-024-81497-6
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