Ecogeographical associations between climate and human body composition: analyses based on anthropometry and skinfolds

In the 19th century, two "ecogeographical rules" were proposed hypothesizing associations of climate with mammalian body size and proportions. Data on human body weight and relative leg length support these rules; however, it is unknown whether such associations are attributable to lean tissue (the heat-producing component) or fat (energy stores). Data on weight, height, and two skinfold thickness were obtained from the literature for 137 nonindustrialized populations, providing 145 male and 115 female individual samples. A variety of indices of adiposity and lean mass were analyzed. Preliminary analyses indicated secular increases in skinfolds in men but not women, and associations of age and height with lean mass in both sexes. Decreasing annual temperature was associated with increasing body mass index (BMI), and increasing triceps but not subscapular skinfold. After adjusting for skinfolds, decreasing temperature remained associated with increasing BMI. These results indicate that colder environments favor both greater peripheral energy stores, and greater lean mass. Contrasting results for triceps and subscapular skinfolds might be due to adaptive strategies either constraining central adiposity in cold environments to reduce cardiovascular risk, or favoring central adiposity in warmer environments to maintain energetic support of the immune system. Polynesian populations were analyzed separately and contradicted all of the climate trends, indicating support for the hypothesis that they are cold-adapted despite occupying a tropical region. It is unclear whether such associations emerge through natural selection or through trans-generational and life-course plasticity. These findings nevertheless aid understanding of the wide variability in human physique and adiposity.     

Relationship of the body mass index with skinfolds,girths, and bone breadths in canadian men and women aged 20–70 years

The relationships of Quetelet index (w/h²), or body mass index (BMI), with the sum of skinfolds at five sites, two skinfold-corrected limb girths, and two bone breadths were studied in a cross-sectional sample of 12,282 men and 6,593 women aged 20–70 years. The correlations of the BMI with skinfolds (0.50), bone breadths (0.51), and girths (0.58) were too low for individual prediction. Contingency tables of the BMI and sum of skinfold categories further indict its use for the purpose of assessing adiposity status or monitoring change in individuals.     

Are adult physiques geometrically similar? The dangers of allometric scaling using body mass power laws

Human physique classification by somatotype assumes that adult humans are geometric similar to each other. However, this assumption has yet to be adequately tested in athletic and nonexercising human populations. In this study, we assessed this assumption by comparing the mass exponents associated with girth measurements taken at 13 different sites throughout the body in 478 subjects (279 athletic subjects, and 199 nonexercising controls). Corrected girths which account for subcutaneous adipose tissue at the upper arm, thigh, and calf sites, and which simulate muscle circumference, were also calculated. If subjects are geometrically similar to each other, girth exponents should be approximately proportional to M(1/3), where M is the subjects' body mass. This study confirms that human adult physiques are not geometrically similar to each other. In both athletic subjects and nonexercising controls, body circumferences/limb girths develop at a greater rate than that anticipated by geometric similarity in fleshy sites containing both muscle and fat (upper arms and legs), and less than anticipated in bony sites (head, wrists, and ankles). Interestingly, head girths appear to remain almost constant, irrespective of subjects' body size/mass. The results also suggest that thigh muscle girths of athletes and controls increase at a greater rate than that predicted by geometric similarity, proportional to body mass (M(0.439) and M(0.377), respectively). These systematic deviations from geometric similarity have serious implications for the allometric scaling of variables such as energy expenditure, oxygen uptake, anaerobic power, and thermodynamic or anthropometric studies involving individuals of differing size.     

Subcutaneous adiposity and relative fat patterning in adult white and migrant asian males in Britain

A comparative study of subcutaneous adiposity and relative fat patterning in adult White (n=262) and migrant Indian (n=39) and Pakistani (n=100) males living in Peterborough, Cambridgeshire revealed no significant difference in the level of generalised adiposity (measured as body mass index) between the ethnic groups. However, Asians had significantly higher means for all five truncal skinfolds; for all upper body: upper extremity, upper body: lower extremity, central body: upper extremity and central body: lower extremity skinfold rations; more total subcutaneous adiposity; and significantly more subcutaneous fat in subscapular, suprailiac and abdomen regions relative to total subcutaneous fat. However, Asian men had significantly less subcutaneous fat in all the extremity sites relative to total subcutaneous adiposity and lower mean forearm subcutaneous adiposity. Discriminant analysis revealed that 80.6% of all individuals were correctly classfied, with Whites being grouped more correctly than Asians. Suprailiac/forearm and suprailiac/triceps skinfold ratios, height, weight, age, body mass index, and subscapular, midauxillary, chest and medial calf skinfolds were among the most important discriminating variables/ratios of the three ethnic groups.     

Longitudinal studies on adipose tissue and its distribution in human subjects.

On 27 men and 6 women, total body density and 10 skinfolds were measured 12 yr apart, with the mean age increasing from 31 to 43 yr. The increase in skinfold thickness was found to be related to the increase in total body adiposity, calculated from hydrostatic weighing. The external adipose tissue was calculated from the mean skinfold thickness and body surface area. Variations in total adiposity among the population studied as well as changes in total adiposity with age showed a characteristic distribution with approximately two-thirds on the surface and one-third in the interior. The essential body mass or total adipose mass determined by hydrostatic weighing was compared with the values obtained by water-immersion volumetry, total body potassium counting, and skinfold measurements. Teh volumetric and skinfold determinations gave better estimates of these parameters than total body potassium counting.     

Gender differences in fat patterning in children living in Ankara

Body composition is an excellent indicator for assessing obesity and nutritional status of both individuals and populations. Youth obesity has important health and social implications, because a large proportion of adult obesity has its origin in childhood. Numerous studies report that adverse levels of cardiovascular diseases risk factors are associated with adiposity in children. Concerning the Turkish population there is up to now only limited information with regard to adiposity in children. The aim of this study was therefore to determine the anthropometric and body composition characteristics and to investigate sex differences in fat patterning including fat distribution in a group of children living in Ankara. The present study evaluated the body composition of 332 boys and 269 girls aged between 8 and 11 years, attending public schools. It was carried out by a cross-sectional study and was focused on that anthropometric variables, which reflect body fat and fat-free mass. Anthropometric measurements including height, weight, triceps and subscapular skinfolds thickness were carried out on these children. The body mass index (BMI) was also calculated. The measurements were used to estimate the two-compartment model of body composition: fat-free mass (FFM) and body fat (BF) from skinfold equations. The mean fat percentage in boys is highest at 11 years (16.8%) and lowest at 10 years (15.6%). In girls these figures come to 18.2% and 17.1%, respectively. Girls of these age groups have a significantly larger percentage of body fat and skinfold thickness. At this young age there is therefore clear evidence of sexual dimorphism in fat patterning, as girls are showing a greater subcutaneous adiposity, which is mainly contributed by the triceps fat. The body fat (kg) increases in both sexes all over the investigated age groups. The Pearson correlation matrix showed a high significant relation between the anthropometric measurements (p < 0.01). The present study confirms the findings that sexual dimorphism of fat patterning in children is to be seen in the age of 8 - 11 years. It furthermore presents basic data of body composition, which could serve as reference data in other studies on the Turkish population.     

Genetic and environmental correlations between various anthropometric and blood pressure traits among adult Samoans

Shared polygenic effects (i.e., pleiotropy) are assumed to exist for such obesity-related phenotypes as blood pressure and adiposity. It is possible to identify these shared genetic effects through bivariate genetic analyses. This analysis of 1,342 adult Samoans, across 801 pedigrees, indicates that significant heritable components (P < 0.05) ranging from 29-58% exist for weight, height, systolic blood pressure, diastolic blood pressure, triceps skinfold, subscapular skinfold, body mass index, and sum of skinfolds. In general, the anthropometric measurements share additive genetic effects, as do the anthropometric measures, with blood pressure. Heritabilities for central fat distribution are not significant in this population, which could be due to a lack of power. On the other hand, heritabilities have been found in Hispanics; hence the genes responsible for central fat distribution may not be evenly distributed among populations.     

Seasonal variation and sex differences in the nutritional status in two local populations of wild Japanese macaques

Seasonal variations and sex differences in the nutritional status in two local populations of wild Japanese macaques (Macaca fuscata fuscata) were examined. It was hypothesized that the ecological condition and/or reproductive strategies of each sex determine the nutritional condition and its seasonal fluctuation in each sex. Morphometric measures such as body mass, thoracic and femoris circumferences, skinfold thickness in four places (triceps, biceps femoris, subscapular, and abdomen), and wet mass of mesenteric and omental fat were used for comparisons between sexes, seasons, and populations. Animals of the Shimane population were larger than those of the Boso population in most morphometric measures, abdominal skinfold, and mesenteric and omental fat mass, suggesting environmental and/or genetic differences in the two populations. Females of both populations had larger skinfolds and mesenteric and omental fat mass than males, indicating that females had more fat than males. Females showed seasonality in most measures, having two peaks of body mass, thoracic and femoris circumferences, abdominal skinfold, and mesenteric and omental fat masses in early spring and late fall. In contrast, males exhibited no clear seasonal variations for most measurements, except for biceps femoris and subscapular skinfolds, which showed peaks in summer. Most morphometric measurements significantly correlated to each other, particularly in females, but most skinfolds had no correlation with other measurements. These findings suggest that sexual dimorphism in body composition and its fluctuation may be affected by the different reproductive strategies of males and females.     

Validity of convenient indicators of obesity

A validation study of convenient indicators of obesity was undertaken in 540 male and female subjects, aged 7-14 yr. Four adiposity measures that have commonly accepted obesity classification points [relative weight, relative body mass index (BMI), sum of five skinfolds, and triceps skinfold] were derived from measures of height, weight, and five skinfold thickness measurements. Body density measures were converted to percentage of body fat using Lohman's (1986) age- and gender-specific regression equations. Using greater than or equal to 20% body fat for males and greater than or equal to 25% for females as the standard for obesity, the diagnostic utilities (sensitivity, specificity, overall accuracy, and positive and negative predictive values) of the four obesity indicators at their commonly used obesity cutoff points were determined. Preliminary analyses demonstrate that use of these indicators should not be considered independent of the gender of the subject or without reference to the purpose for classifying subjects as obese. Secondary analyses, in which the obesity cutoff point in each indicator was altered to obtain a minimum specificity level of 95%, demonstrated that a sum of skinfolds was better at identifying true obesity than all other indicators in both males and females. There is potential for inappropriate labeling with all convenient indicators of obesity, and thus they should be used with caution.     

Reference Values for Body Composition and Anthropometric Measurements in Athletes

Background

Despite the importance of body composition in athletes, reference sex- and sport-specific body composition data are lacking. We aim to develop reference values for body composition and anthropometric measurements in athletes.

Methods

Body weight and height were measured in 898 athletes (264 female, 634 male), anthropometric variables were assessed in 798 athletes (240 female and 558 male), and in 481 athletes (142 female and 339 male) with dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry (DXA). A total of 21 different sports were represented. Reference percentiles (5^th, 25^th, 50^th, 75^th, and 95^th) were calculated for each measured value, stratified by sex and sport. Because sample sizes within a sport were often very low for some outcomes, the percentiles were estimated using a parametric, empirical Bayesian framework that allowed sharing information across sports.

Results

We derived sex- and sport-specific reference percentiles for the following DXA outcomes: total (whole body scan) and regional (subtotal, trunk, and appendicular) bone mineral content, bone mineral density, absolute and percentage fat mass, fat-free mass, and lean soft tissue. Additionally, we derived reference percentiles for height-normalized indexes by dividing fat mass, fat-free mass, and appendicular lean soft tissue by height squared. We also derived sex- and sport-specific reference percentiles for the following anthropometry outcomes: weight, height, body mass index, sum of skinfold thicknesses (7 skinfolds, appendicular skinfolds, trunk skinfolds, arm skinfolds, and leg skinfolds), circumferences (hip, arm, midthigh, calf, and abdominal circumferences), and muscle circumferences (arm, thigh, and calf muscle circumferences).

Conclusions

These reference percentiles will be a helpful tool for sports professionals, in both clinical and field settings, for body composition assessment in athletes.     

Physical exercise, body mass index, subcutaneous adiposity and body composition among Bengalee boys aged 10-17 years of Kolkata, India

A comparative study of 215 sedentary (no regular physical exercise undertaken) and 313 physically active (regular physical exercise undertaken) Bengalee boys aged 10-17 years was undertaken to investigate the differences in overall adiposity (body mass index), subcutaneous adiposity (skinfolds) and body composition (percent body fat, fat mass and fat mass index). Both groups had a similar age. The results revealed that boys who did not undertake regular physical exercise (NPE) had a significantly greater mean body mass index (BMI) compared with those who undertook regular physical exercise (PE); p < 0.001. The means for all the skinfolds as well as percent body fat (PBF), fat mass (FM) and fat mass index (FMI) were significantly higher among the NPE group. The percentile distributions of all these variables and indices were consistently higher among the NPE group. The results of ANOVA of physical exercise (PE = yes, NPE = no) and PBF, FM and FMI, with age as covariate, revealed that PE had a significant negative effect on all these measures of body composition even after controlling for the impact of age. The means in each case were greater among the NPE group. In conclusion, this study provided evidence that Bengalee boys, who undertook regular physical exercise, had significantly less adiposity compared with those who did not undertake regular physical exercise.     

Growth and malnutrition of rural Zimbabwean children (6-17 years of age)

The rural environment is an important factor in delayed growth in developing countries. The aim of this study was to investigate the effects of poor rural living conditions on the growth of a Shona sample in Zimbabwe. In total, 982 subjects aged 6-17 years were analyzed. Mean values of height, weight, skinfolds (triceps, subscapular, suprailiac, biceps, medial calf), cormic index, body mass index (BMI), arm composition (total upper arm area, upper arm muscle area, arm fat area, and arm fat index), fat percentage (%F), centripetal fat ratio (CFR), and the contribution of each skinfold to the adiposity of the trunk and upper limbs are presented. Weight, height, BMI, cormic index, SSCP, TRCP, arm circumference, and arm composition are compared with NHANES percentiles. Boys and girls showed stunting and underweight at ages 11-15 and 8-15, respectively; boys presented particularly severe malnutrition and their means of height and weight were below the 10th percentile. The means of arm circumference, UMA, UFA, and TRCP were below the 15th percentile in both sexes. The contribution of the skinfolds generally showed an overall prevalence of TRCP in both sexes; the contribution of SSCP was prevalent only for the 16- to 17-year-old boys. Males presented a higher CFR than girls after 14 years while females showed an irregular pattern. There was a high incidence of brachycormia and mesocormia in females and males, respectively. Height, weight, and BMI were similar to the values observed in other sub-Saharan countries, although body size was slightly larger than in South Africa and smaller than in Tanzania. The results provide a useful database for future comparisons.     

Presence of high rates of overweight and obesity among adult Marwaris of Howrah, West Bengal, India

A cross-sectional study of 220 (110 men and 110 women) adult (> 20 years) Marwaris of Howrah, West Bengal, India, was undertaken to investigate the frequency of overweight and obesity, using different criteria. Results revealed that men had significantly greater mean height, weight, waist circumference (WC), waist-hip ratio (WHR), conicity index (CI) and fat free mass (FFM), compared with women. Women had significantly higher mean body mass index (BMI), biceps (BSF) and triceps (TSF) skinfolds, mid-upper arm (MUAC) and hip (HC) circumferences, percent body fat (PBF), fat mass index (FMI), mid-arm fat area (MAFA) and PBF/BMI ratio compared with men. The frequency of overweight (BMI > or = 25.0) was significantly higher among women (71.8%) compared with men (44.5%). Similarly, significantly more women (41.8%) had high WHR than men (22.7%). Significantly more women also had high PBF (97.3%) compared with men (90.9%). In conclusion, these results demonstrated that the level of overall and central adiposity, as well as body fat, was found to be high among Marwaris, as compared with other ethnic populations of India. Moreover, there existed significant sexual dimorphism in these measures among this ethnic group. This high level of overall and central adiposity and body fat could have severe adverse health implications in this ethnic group.     

Body composition and fat distribution among older Jat females: A rural–urban comparison

The aim of the present cross-sectional study is to describe and compare age related changes in body composition and fat patterning among rural and urban Jat females of Haryana State, India. A total of 600 females (rural = 300, urban = 300), ranging in age from 40 to 70 years were selected by the purposive sampling method. Body weight, height, two circumferences (waist and hip) and skinfold thickness at five different sites (biceps, triceps, calf, subscapular, and supra-iliac) were taken on each participant. To study total adiposity, indices such as body mass index (BMI), grand mean thickness (GMT), total body fat and percentage fat were analyzed statistically. The fat distribution pattern was studied using waist/hip ratio, subscapular/triceps ratio and responsiveness of five skinfold sites towards accumulation of fat at different sites with advancing age. Results indicate a decline in almost every dimension including level of fatness between the mid-fourth and mid-fifth decades of life in both rural and urban females. Urban Jat females were heavier (57.36 kg vs. 56.07 kg, p > 0.05) and significantly taller (1553.3 mm vs. 1534.5 mm, p < 0.001) than their rural counterparts. Urban females also exhibited higher mean values for both the circumferences, five skinfold thicknesses as well as for lean body mass, total fat and percentage fat than the rural females. This is also evident from their higher mean values for body mass index and grand mean thickness. Waist/hip ratio values in rural and urban females showed upper body fat predominance, with urban females having relatively more abdominal fat. Results of subscapular/triceps ratio showed that rural and urban females gained proportionally similar amounts of subcutaneous fat at trunk and extremity sites until 45 years of age. Subsequently trunk skinfolds increased relatively more in thickness. The magnitude of this increase was comparatively greater in rural females up to 55 years and among urban females from 55 to 70 years. The profiles of subcutaneous fat accumulation and sensitivity of each skinfold site also revealed more fat deposition in the trunk region compared to extremities in both rural and urban females. The present study demonstrated differential rates of fat redistribution among rural and urban females.     

Brief communication: Body mass index,body adiposity index,and percent body fat in asians

Human obesity is a growing epidemic throughout the world. Body mass index (BMI) is commonly used as a good indicator of obesity. Body adiposity index (BAI = hip circumference (cm)/stature (m)^1.5 ? 18), as a new surrogate measure, has been proposed recently as an alternative to BMI. This study, for the first time, compares BMI and BAI for predicting percent body fat (PBF; estimated from skinfolds) in a sample of 302 Buryat adults (148 men and 154 women) living in China. The BMI and BAI were strongly correlated with PBF in both men and women. The correlation coefficient between BMI and PBF was higher than that between BAI and PBF for both sexes. For the linear regression analysis, BMI better predicted PBF in both men and women; the variation around the regression lines for each sex was greater for BAI comparisons. For the receiver operating characteristic (ROC) analysis, the area under the ROC curve for BMI was higher than that for BAI for each sex, which suggests that the discriminatory capacity of the BMI is higher than the one of BAI. Taken together, we conclude that BMI is a more reliable indicator of PBF derived from skinfold thickness in adult Buryats. Am J Phys Anthropol 152:294–299, 2013. © 2013 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.     

Ethnic differences in regional adiposity between adult caucasian and migrant pakistani males which are unexplained by some common indicators of lifestyles

This paper examined the ethnic differences in regional adiposity, measured as circumferences and skinfolds, after controlling for the effects of some indicators of lifestyle patterns, namely, smoking, physical activity, family history of diabetes and diet, in 262 adult White and 100 migrant Pakistani (of Kashmiri origin) males in Peterborough, East Anglia, England. Amongst individuals regularly consuming various dietary products, Pakistani men had significantly lower mean chest, minimum waist and maximum hip circumferences compared with Caucasians; they also had significantly higher mean abdomen, subscapular and suprailiac skinfolds, but significantly lower mean forearm skinfold. Ethnicity was found to have significant associations with chest (p<0.01), waist (p<0.025), and hip (p<0.05) circumferences; and abdomen (p<0.005), subscapular (p<0.001), suprailiac (p<0.025), midaxillary (p<0.05) and forearm (p<0.005) skinfolds, after removing the combined effects of smoking, physical activity and various dietary products. Results also indicated that migrant Pakistanis had significantly higher mean abdomen (+4.6 mm), subscapular (+5.3 mm), suprailiac (+4.4 mm) and midaxillary skinfolds (+3.3 mm); but significantly lower mean forearm (−1.2 mm) and medial calf (−1.2 mm) skinfolds, and chest circumference (−1.8 cm), after removing the combined effects of age, age², smoking status, physical activity undertaken, diet and family history of diabetes. These significant ethnic differences existed even after removing the effect of body mass index (BMI). This investigation provides clear evidence that the significant ethnic difference in regional adiposity between adult Caucasians and migrant Pakistanis of Kashmiri origin was not due to the various lifestyle indicators but may be influenced by genetic determinants. Further studies are needed to determine the nature and extent of the genetic component of this ethnic heterogeneity in regional adiposity between Caucasians and migrant Pakistanis.     

Age trends in anthropometric characteristics among 6-9 years old Bengalee Hindu school girls of Kolkata, India

A cross-sectional study of 431 6-9 years old urban Bengalee Hindu schoolgirls of Kolkata, India, was undertaken to study age trends in anthropometric characteristics including regional and subcutaneous adiposity. The anthropometric variables measured included height, weight, sitting height (SH), waist (WC), hip (HPC), thigh (TC), mid-upper arm (MUAC) and medial calf (MC) circumferences as well as triceps (TSF), biceps (BSF), subscapular SUBSF), suprailliac (SUPSF) and medial calf (MCASF) skinfolds. The results revealed, that there was a significant increasing age trend for all the anthropometric variables including the two derived variables: body mass index (BMI) and subischial leg length (SLL). For all variables, the lowest and the highest means were observed at the age of 6 and 9 years, respectively. The maximum increase in weight, BMI, all linear measurements, WC and HPC were observed during the period 6-7 years of age. In general, all skinfolds recorded similar yearly increments. More importantly, this study clearly indicated that among Bengalee girls aged 6-9 years, the highest amount of linear growth (height, SH and SLL) was observed at 6 years of age. The overall adiposity (BMI) also recorded the maximum increment during this period. The unique data presented here can be used as reference values for urban Bengalee Hindu girls aged 6-9 years.     

Evidence of genetic influence on central body fat in middle-aged twins

The heritability of centrally and peripherally deposited subcutaneous body fat, as measured by thickness of subscapular and triceps skinfolds respectively, was examined in 173 monozygotic and 178 dizygotic pairs of white male twins, ages 54 to 65 years, who participated in the second examination of the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute's Twin Study. The heritability of two indices of body fat distribution (subscapular/triceps ratio and subscapular-triceps difference) and two indices of overall obesity (body mass index and sum of skinfolds) were also assessed. Evidence for a genetic influence on central deposition of body fat was suggested in that the classical estimate of heritability for subscapular skinfold thickness was 0.77 (p less than 0.0001). After adjusting subscapular skinfold for the overall level of obesity, heritability was reduced but remained highly significant (0.40, p = 0.003). Heritability estimates for triceps skinfold thickness and for the two fat distribution indices were substantially lower and were not statistically significant after adjustment for overall obesity. High classical estimates of heritability were also observed for both measures of overall obesity: 0.70 for BMI and 0.73 for sum of skinfolds. However, these two estimates were biased upward because of lower total variances among monozygotic compared to dizygotic twins in this sample. The more conservative and unbiased among-component estimates also suggested substantial heritability for each measure (0.35, p = 0.08 and 0.53, p = 0.01, respectively). The heritability of overall obesity emphasizes the importance of adjusting measures of fat distribution for overall obesity before assessing its heritability.     

Regional adiposity, body composition and central body fat distribution of 10-16 years old Bengalee boys of Nimta, North 24 Parganas, West Bengal, India

A cross-sectional study of 502 Bengalee boys aged 10-16 years of Nimta, North 24 Parganas, West Bengal, India, was undertaken to study regional adiposity, body composition and central body fat distribution. The subjects were classified into seven age groups: 10-10.9 years (n = 74), 11-11.9 (n = 53), 12-12.9 (n = 87), 13-13.9 (n = 116), 14-14.9 (n = 58), 15-15.9 (n = 57), 16-16.9 (n = 57). In general, there was a significant linear increasing trend from 10 to 16 years for all the anthropometric variables. There was a net increase of 30.5 cm and 22.8 kg in mean height and weight, respectively, between 10 and 16 years of age. Mean BMI increased by 3.7 kg/m2 during the same period. Among circumferences, the largest increase was in hip followed by chest while the smallest increase was in mid upper arm, between 10 and 16 years of age. Subscapular skinfold showed the largest increase followed by abdomen and suprailiac skinfolds, while the increase was least in forearm skinfold. Significant linear increasing trend was observed for all the body composition measures. The largest increase in percent of body fat (PBF) was observed between ages 10 and 11 years while mean fat mass (FM), fat free mass (FFM) and fat mass index (FMI) increased the most between 14 to 15 years. However, an overall decreasing trend was observed, in mean waist-to-hip ratio (WHR) from 10 to 16 years. Boys aged 10 years had the highest mean WHR while those aged 15 years had the lowest mean WHR. There was an increase in mean WHR among 16 years old boys.     

Body Fat Patterning,Hepatic Fat and Pancreatic Volume of Non-Obese Asian Indians with Type 2 Diabetes in North India: A Case-Control Study

ObjectiveTo evaluate body fat patterning and phenotype including hepatic fat and pancreatic volume of non-obese (BMI: < 25 kg/m²) Asian Indians with type 2 diabetes residing in North India.MethodsNon-obese patients with type 2 diabetes (n = 93) and non-obese, normo-glycemic subjects (n = 40) were recruited. BMI, waist & hip circumferences, skinfold thickness at 8 sites, body fat, lean mass and detailed abdominal fat evaluation [total abdominal fat, total subcutaneous fat (superficial, deep, anterior, and posterior), total intra-abdominal fat (intra-peritoneal, retroperitoneal)], liver span, grades of fatty liver and pancreatic volume were compared.ResultsWaist circumference, subscapular skinfolds and total truncal fat (on DEXA) were higher whereas calf, total peripheral skinfolds and total leg fat (on DEXA) lower in patients. Specifically, the following volumes were higher in cases as compared to controls; total abdominal fat (19.4%), total intra-abdominal fat (49.7%), intra-peritoneal fat (47.7%), retroperitoneal fat (70.7%), pancreatic volume (26.6%), pancreatic volume index (21.3%) and liver span (10.8%). In cases, significant positive correlations were observed for pancreatic volume with BMI, waist and hip circumferences, W-HR, subscapular, abdominal and total truncal skinfolds, truncal, total subcutaneous, total intra-abdominal, intra-peritoneal, retroperitoneal fat depots, liver span and fatty liver.ConclusionsIn non-obese Asian Indians with type 2 diabetes, subcutaneous and intra-abdominal obesity, including fatty liver, and pancreatic volume were higher and peripheral subcutaneous adiposity was lower than BMI matched non-diabetic subjects. Importantly, increased pancreatic volume in patients was highly correlated with multiple measures of abdominal obesity and liver fat.