Body fat percentage measured by DXA was associated with increased odds of MGUS, while commonly used obesity markers including BMI did not show statistically significant associations, indicating that 'many obesity markers, including the commonly used BMI, do not adequately capture this association.'
Key Findings
Results
Each 1 percentage point increase in body fat percentage was associated with a 4% higher odds of prevalent MGUS.
aOR: 1.04, 95% CI [1.01, 1.07]
Association was measured using DXA-based body composition assessment in NHANES 1999-2004
Analysis used multivariable-adjusted logistic regression
The study included 164 participants with MGUS compared with 12,043 participants without MGUS in the NHANES 1999-2004 sample
Results
Each 1 percentage point increase in body fat percentage was associated with a 6% higher odds of non-IgM MGUS specifically.
aOR: 1.06, 95% CI [1.02, 1.10]
Association was stronger for non-IgM MGUS subtype than for overall MGUS
Measured using DXA in NHANES 1999-2004
Results
No statistically significant associations were found between MGUS and multiple other obesity markers.
Non-significant markers included baseline BMI, maximum lifetime BMI, waist circumference (WC), waist-hip ratio (WHR), and fat-free mass
Seven obesity markers total were evaluated in the study
Body composition in NHANES III was assessed using tetrapolar bioelectrical impedance analysis (BIA), while DXA was used in NHANES 1999-2004
Methods
The study included a total of 364 participants with MGUS and 12,043 participants without MGUS drawn from two nationally representative U.S. surveys.
200 participants with MGUS came from NHANES III (1988-1994)
164 participants with MGUS came from continuous NHANES (1999-2004)
Data were from the third National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey III (1988-1994) and continuous NHANES (1999-2004)
Study used nationally representative data from the U.S. general population
Conclusions
Obesity, as captured specifically by body fat percentage, is associated with an increased odds of MGUS.
The association was only statistically significant when using DXA-measured body fat percentage, not BMI or other anthropometric markers
The finding suggests that 'many obesity markers, including the commonly used BMI, do not adequately capture this association'
Current evidence regarding the association between obesity and MGUS was described as 'inconsistent' prior to this study
Ji M, Huber J, Wang M, Lan T, Colditz G, Wang S, et al.. (2026). The association between body fatness and prevalent MGUS in the U.S. general population.. Cancer epidemiology. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.canep.2026.103021