Subscapular thickness is more strongly associated with blood glucose and insulin levels than waist circumference and BMI in the mixed ancestry population of South Africa.

Abstract

Obesity, particularly central obesity is strongly associated with the development of insulin resistance and type 2 diabetes. On one hand, subscapular skinfold thickness has previously been found to be better than BMI and WC in identifying hyperinsulinemia in Asian Indian males. Because the mixed ancestry population of South Africa is a combination of European settlers, the indigenous Africans and the Indians we investigated the relationship between measurements of obesity and fasting blood glucose and insulin levels in the mixed ancestry population of South Africa