The purpose of this study was to investigate the stage of glucose intolerance in which persons showed a maximum obesity in Korea. A total of 4,479 participants, who were involved in the 2005 Korean National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey, was examined. The participants were divided into 5 groups by fasting plasma glucose (FPG); normal fasting glucose (NFG)1, FPG < 90 mg/dL; NFG2, FPG 90-99 mg/dL; impaired fasting glucose (IFG)1, FPG 100-109 mg/dL; IFG2, FPG 110-125 mg/dL; and diabetes mellitus, FPG ≥ 126 mg/dL or with anti-diabetes drugs. In those with FPG < 110 mg/dL, body mass index (BMI) and waist circumference (WC) were increased with increase of FPG (BMI in men; NFG1, 23.3 ± 0.1; NFG2, 24.4 ± 0.1; IFG1, 25.0 ± 0.2 kg/m(2), in women; NFG1, 23.0 ± 0.1; NFG2, 24.0 ± 0.1; IFG1, 24.8 ± 0.2 kg/m(2), WC in men; NFG1, 82.1 ± 0.3; NFG2, 85.3 ± 0.3; IFG1, 86.7 ± 0.5 cm, in women; NFG1, 77.1 ± 0.2; NFG2, 79.4 ± 0.3; IFG1, 81.8 ± 0.6 cm). In IFG2 and diabetes range, there was no more increase of BMI and WC with increase of FPG in each sex. The data suggest that degree of obesity increases with an increase of FPG in range of FPG < 100 mg/dL, peaked in FPG of 100-109 mg/dL, and then plateaus in higher FPG range in general Korean population.
Keywords: Body Mass Index; Diabetes Mellitus; Korea; Waist Circumference.