Obesity and Smoking: Relationship with Waist Circumference and Obesity-Related Disorders in Men Undergoing a Health Screening

This study investigated whether smoking habits had a differential influence on waist circumference and obesity-related disorders in nonobese and obese men. We investigated 359 men with smoking habits confirmed by their spouses, including 172 nonobese men (BMI<25) and 187 obese men (BMI>or=25). There were 113 nonobese smokers and 129 obese smokers. Obesity-related disorders were defined as hypertension, dyslipidemia, hyperglycemia, hyperuricemia, or treatment for one or more of these disorders. Nonobese subjects showed no differences of age, BMI, and waist circumference between smokers and nonsmokers, but smokers had a higher incidence of obesity-related disorders. Obese smokers were younger than obese nonsmokers and had a larger waist circumference, but a similar prevalence of obesity-related disorders. The prevalence of obesity-related disorders was similar between obese nonsmokers and smokers, but the smokers were younger. In nonobese subjects, smoking may increase obesity-related disorders by a mechanism other than visceral fat accumulation. In obese subjects, however, smoking may promote visceral fat accumulation. Further investigations will be necessary to better elucidate the relationship between the promotion of visceral fat accumulation in obese subjects by smoking and obesity-related disorders.