Paradoxical Relationships Between Anthropometric Variables and Phenotypic Expression of the Metabolic Syndrome in Nondiabetic Polynesians of New Caledonia

A total of 588 subjects (response rate 91.5%), together with 517 negative screenees matched by ethnic group, sex, age, and location, underwent a more detailed examination, including a 2-h oral glucose tolerance test and anthropometric and biochemical measurements. Of these, we selected for the analysis 58 Europeans, 298 Melanesians, and 63 Polynesians with no known or newly diagnosed diabetes (i.e., fasting plasma glucose [FPG]