Abstract
We have assessed photon absorptiometry as a new technique for direct measurement of the abdominal fat percentage (AF%). The accuracy of the method was assessed in vitro with phantoms consisting of ox muscle, lard, and a mixture of both. The results showed good linearity (r = 0.999). The in vitro reproducibility and the in vivo reproducibility were s.d. = 2.0 and s.d. = 2.8 (AF%), respectively. The AF% was measured in 148 healthy post-menopausal women and found to correlate with other measurements of fatness, such as total body fat per cent (r = 0.82, P less than 0.001), body mass index (r = 0.79, P less than 0.001) and the ratio of waist-to-hip circumference (r = 0.59, P less than 0.001). The waist-to-hip ratio, an important predictor of cardiovascular disease, was more tightly correlated with AF% than with body mass index. We conclude that this method may be a useful new research tool for direct measurements of abdominal fat, a possible cardiovascular risk factor.
Original language | English |
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Journal | International Journal of Obesity |
Volume | 14 |
Issue number | 7 |
Pages (from-to) | 603-611 |
Number of pages | 9 |
ISSN | 0307-0565 |
Publication status | Published - 1990 |
Externally published | Yes |
Keywords
- Abdomen
- Absorptiometry, Photon
- Adipose Tissue
- Anthropometry
- Body Composition
- Body Mass Index
- Female
- Humans
- Middle Aged
- Models, Structural
- Reproducibility of Results