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The Atherosclerosis Risk in Communities Study

Anna Peeters, PhD; Dianna J. Magliano, PhD; June Stevens, PhD; Bruce B. Duncan, MD, PhD; Ronald Klein, MD, MPH; Tien Y. Wong, MD, PhD

Arch Ophthalmol. 2008;126(11):1554-1560.

Objective  To examine the association between changes in waist-hip ratio (WHR), a measure of abdominal obesity, and age-related macular degeneration (AMD).

Methods  A total of 12 515 persons from a population-based cohort study, aged 45 to 64 years in 1987 to 1989, were followed up over 6 years. The percentage change in WHR during follow-up was ranked into sex-specific deciles; an increase in WHR was defined as the top 10% of change and a decrease in WHR as the bottom 10%. The association of increased or decreased WHR and presence of AMD at follow-up was determined using logistic regression adjusting for potential confounders.

Results  The average change in WHR was an increase of 2%, ranging from a decrease of 44% to an increase of 102%. A decrease in WHR of 3% or more was associated with 29% lower odds of any AMD (odds ratio = 0.71; 95% confidence interval, 0.52-0.97). This effect was most pronounced among obese participants at baseline, where a decrease in WHR was associated with 59% lower odds of AMD (odds ratio = 0.41; 95% confidence interval, 0.20-0.82).

Conclusions  Middle-aged persons who had a 3% or greater reduction in WHR over time were less likely to have AMD, particularly among those who were initially obese.

Author Affiliations: Department of Epidemiology and Preventive Medicine, Monash University (Drs Peeters and Magliano) and International Diabetes Institute (Drs Magliano and Wong), Victoria, Australia; Departments of Epidemiology and Nutrition, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill (Dr Stevens); Graduate Studies Program in Epidemiology, School of Medicine, Federal University of Rio Grande do Sul, Porto Alegre, Brazil (Dr Duncan); Department of Ophthalmology and Visual Science, University of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public Health, Madison (Dr Klein); and Centre for Eye Research Australia, University of Melbourne, Melbourne, Australia, and Singapore Eye Research Institute, Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine, National University of Singapore, Singapore (Dr Wong).

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