Fat distribution, androgens, and metabolism in nonobese women

Article Abstract:

Previous research has established that the risk of cardiovascular diseases, cerebrovascular disease (stroke), and diabetes mellitus (sugar diabetes) is correlated not with obesity in general, but with the pattern of fat distribution. The risk of these diseases in premenopausal women is associated with the degree of abdominal fat, which is related to the level of male hormones (androgens). Additional studies also lend support to the hypothesis that the disease risk for obese females is caused by an underlying hormone imbalance, an androgenic syndrome. The current study assesses fat distribution patterns and other correlates in a population of 85 randomly selected women who were born and continue to live in Ede, a town of 90,000 inhabitants in the Netherlands. Three specific measures of fat distribution were collected on the volunteers and blood samples were taken to calculate androgen activity as well as other physiologic parameters e.g., insulin level. Blood pressure was also recorded. Measurement of waist-hip and waist-thigh thickness ratio were taken and showed good correlation with all metabolic variables including androgen level, but measurements of arm and scapular fat (shoulder blade) were less successful. However, the latter measure did correlate well with blood pressure. The waist-hip ratio was strongly correlated with total serum cholesterol and insulin level. A measure of lean body mass (body mass index or BMI) and waist-hip ratio gave a striking and simple means of determining risk factors in these women. Why these ratios of skin fold measurement and of body mass should be related to important risk factors remains to be clarified. However, their usefulness in making reliable assessments of risk for cardiovascular diseases, cerebrovascular diseases and diabetes mellitus are clearly demonstrated.

Health aspects, Research, Netherlands, Women, Risk factors, Coronary heart disease, Diabetes, Diabetes mellitus, Women's health, Cerebrovascular disease, Cerebrovascular disorders, Androgens, The Netherlands

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Imaging techniques for measuring adipose-tissue distribution - a comparison between computed tomography and 1.5-T magnetic resonance

Article Abstract:

Measuring the amount and distribution of adipose (fat) tissue in the body is a means of diagnosing obesity and following the progress of individuals in weight loss regimens. Computed tomography (CT), which uses X-rays, is an excellent tool for this purpose, especially for measuring visceral fat tissue, which surrounds the internal organs. However, the radiation exposure involved makes use of this imaging technique ethically unacceptable with volunteers. In addition, inaccuracies may be caused by bone tissue, which scatters radiation. Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) does not use radiation; its effectiveness in measuring adipose tissue was compared with that of CT in seven adult volunteers. Subcutaneous (below the skin) fat measurements obtained with MRI were almost identical to those obtained with CT. Visceral adipose tissue was underestimated by MRI, but the ranking of individuals from lowest to highest fat correlated well between the two techniques. MRI had advantages over CT in measurements of bony areas like thighs and hips. Because MRI measurements take a longer time to complete, movement artifacts are a greater problem with MRI than CT. Repeated MRI scans taken in seven other volunteers indicated that MRI measurements are highly reproducible. The study suggests that while MRI does not accurately measure the absolute amount of visceral fat, correct ranking of a group of individuals on body fat content can be achieved using MRI. (Consumer Summary produced by Reliance Medical Information, Inc.)

Diagnosis, CT imaging, CAT scans

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Total and subcutaneous adipose tissue in women: the measurement of distribution and accurate prediction of quantity by using magnetic resonance imaging

Article Abstract:

Previous studies have shown that magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), a technique that produces images of the soft tissues of the body, can be used to measure the fat (adipose tissue) content of the body. In a study that compared several different methods of measuring the amount of body fat, MRI produced the results that were closest to those obtained using underwater weighing (body weight measured under water), the preferred method for measuring the amount of body fat. Also, MRI can be used to determine the location or distribution of body fat. Therefore, a study was performed using MRI to determine the distribution of total and subcutaneous (under the skin) body fat and the amount of nonfatty (lean) tissue in seven lean and seven obese women. The results of this study show that while the lean women had less total and subcutaneous fat than the obese women, the distribution of body fat was very similar in lean and obese women. Total body fat and subcutaneous body fat were greatest in the abdominal regions and lowest in the upper and lower parts of the body. Nonfatty, or lean, tissue was greatest in the neck and shoulder regions, was lowest in the waist or abdominal regions, and was similar for obese and lean women. When the total amount of body fat measured using MRI was compared with results obtained in previous studies using five other common methods for measuring body fat content, MRI gave the most accurate results. (Consumer Summary produced by Reliance Medical Information, Inc.)

Analysis, Physiological aspects

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