{
  "abstract": "AIM: Low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C) is a major contributor to atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease (CVD). The waist-to-height ratio (WHtR) has been proposed as a practical marker of central obesity; however, evidence linking WHtR with incident high LDL-C levels in Japanese populations remains limited. This study investigated the association between WHtR and future LDL-C elevation in a community-based cohort in Japan. METHODS: This retrospective cohort study included 3,934 adults aged 30-74 years without dyslipidemia at baseline from the Iki Epidemiological Study of Atherosclerosis and Chronic Kidney Disease. The participants were followed between 2008 and 2019. WHtR was categorized into sex-specific quartiles. Incident high LDL-C was defined as LDL-C ≥ 3.62 mmol/L or initiation of lipid-lowering therapy. Cox proportional hazards models were used to estimate the hazard ratios (HRs), after adjusting for demographic, lifestyle, and clinical factors. RESULTS: During a mean follow-up period of 5.02 years, 466 females and 424 males developed high LDL-C levels. Among females, the adjusted hazard ratio (HR) (95% confidence interval [CI]) for quartile 4 versus quartile 1 was 1.95 (1.41-2.71; p for trend ＜0.0001). Among males, the corresponding adjusted HR (95% CI) was 1.61 (1.18-2.21; p for trend = 0.001). A higher WHtR was associated with an increased risk of incident high LDL-C in both sexes (trend p＜0.01). A WHtR threshold of approximately 0.5 corresponded to a notable increase in risk. CONCLUSION: A Higher WHtR was associated with an increased risk of incident high LDL-C. These findings suggest that WHtR may be a useful anthropometric indicator for identifying individuals at risk, although further studies are required.",
  "abstract_shown": true,
  "affiliations": [],
  "article_type": null,
  "arxiv": null,
  "author_total": 12,
  "authors": [
    {
      "name": "Takako Fujii"
    },
    {
      "name": "Shintaro Ishida"
    },
    {
      "name": "Makiko Abe"
    },
    {
      "name": "Miki Kawazoe"
    },
    {
      "name": "Toshiki Maeda"
    },
    {
      "name": "Chikara Yoshimura"
    },
    {
      "name": "Yori Inoue"
    },
    {
      "name": "Kazuhiro Tada"
    },
    {
      "name": "Koji Takahashi"
    },
    {
      "name": "Kenji Ito"
    },
    {
      "name": "Kosuke Masutani"
    },
    {
      "name": "Hisatomi Arima"
    }
  ],
  "bibtex": "https://research.draconitic.com/paper/6317we3txew87.bib",
  "cited_by": 0,
  "doi": "10.5551/jat.66242",
  "fulltext_url": "https://www.jstage.jst.go.jp/article/jat/advpub/0/advpub_66242/_article",
  "id": "6317we3txew87",
  "issns": [
    "1880-3873",
    "1340-3478"
  ],
  "landing_url": "https://www.jstage.jst.go.jp/article/jat/advpub/0/advpub_66242/_article",
  "language": null,
  "licence": "CC-BY-NC-SA",
  "licence_label": "CC BY-NC-SA",
  "licence_source": "journal",
  "licence_url": "https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/4.0/",
  "metadata_licence": null,
  "native_subjects": [
    [
      "jstage-journal",
      "medicine/cardiovascular"
    ],
    [
      "openalex",
      "2746|Lipoproteins and Cardiovascular Health"
    ]
  ],
  "openalex": "W7204853397",
  "pdf_url": "https://www.jstage.jst.go.jp/article/jat/advpub/0/advpub_66242/_pdf",
  "pmcid": null,
  "pmid": null,
  "published": "2026-09-01",
  "publisher": null,
  "ris": "https://research.draconitic.com/paper/6317we3txew87.ris",
  "sources": [
    {
      "first_seen": "2026-10-30T12:17:22Z",
      "native_id": "10.5551/jat.66242",
      "source": "jstage",
      "url": "https://www.jstage.jst.go.jp/article/jat/advpub/0/advpub_66242/_article"
    }
  ],
  "subjects": [
    {
      "field": "medicine",
      "origin": "openalex:2746|Lipoproteins and Cardiovascular Health",
      "subfield": "surgery"
    }
  ],
  "title": "The Waist-to-Height Ratio and Incidence of High LDL Cholesterol in Japanese: A Retrospective Cohort Study",
  "title_text": "The Waist-to-Height Ratio and Incidence of High LDL Cholesterol in Japanese: A Retrospective Cohort Study",
  "type": "peer-reviewed",
  "updated_at": "2026-10-30T12:17:22Z",
  "url": "https://research.draconitic.com/paper/6317we3txew87",
  "venue": "Journal of Atherosclerosis and Thrombosis",
  "versions": []
}