Skip to main content

Thank you for visiting nature.com. You are using a browser version with limited support for CSS. To obtain the best experience, we recommend you use a more up to date browser (or turn off compatibility mode in Internet Explorer). In the meantime, to ensure continued support, we are displaying the site without styles and JavaScript.

  • Original Article
  • Published:

Estimation of deep-abdominal-adipose-tissue (DAAT) accumulation from simple anthropometric measurements in Indian men and women

European Journal of Clinical Nutrition volume 60, pages 658–666 (2006)Cite this article

Abstract

Objective:

To develop gender-specific predictive equations to measure the amount of deep-abdominal-adipose-tissue (DAAT) accumulation from simple anthropometric measurements.

Design:

Cross-sectional study.

Subjects:

A total of 120 healthy men and women (40–79 years).

Measurements:

Body weights, circumferences, skinfolds, computed-Tomography (CT)-derived sagittal-diameters and the DAAT areas.

Results:

High significant correlations are seen between the indices of waist-circumferences, sagittal diameters and body weights to DAAT areas in both the sexes. Stepwise multiple regression analysis with all anthropometric measures gave 84% (SEE 38.7 cm2) of the variance in men and 72% (SEE 29 cm2) in women. Body weights, waist-circumferences and sagittal-diameters had more predictive power in men, and in women, the arm-circumferences replaced the sagittal diameters. Five models with categorical measures of circumferences, skinfolds, and sagittal diameters explained 74.8–82% of the variance in men and 62–70% in women. The simplest equation with least measurement indices, that is, body-weight, waist-circumference and body mass index explained 74% (SEE 27.7 cm2) of the variance in men: DAAT (cm2)=−382.9+(1.09 × weight−(kg))+(6.04 × waist−(cm))+(−2.29 × BMI). For women, body-weight and waist-circumference explained 63% (SEE 31.79 cm2) of the variance: DAAT (cm2)=−278+(−0.86 × weight−(kg))+(5.19 × waist−(cm)).

Conclusion:

Body weight emerged as the outstanding index to measure the DAAT areas. Following anthropometric measures are the waist circumferences, sagittal diameters and BMI. Although the ability to estimate the amount of DAAT from anthropometry is limited, practical predictive models have been developed.

This is a preview of subscription content, access via your institution

Access options

Buy this article

  • Purchase on Springer Link
  • Instant access to full article PDF
Buy now

Prices may be subject to local taxes which are calculated during checkout

Figure 1

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  • Altman DG (1996). Relation between two continuous variables. In: Practical Statistics for Medical Research, Altman DG (ed) Chapman and Hill: London, pp 345–346.

    Google Scholar 

  • Ashwell M, Cole TJ, Dixon AK (1985). Obesity: new insight into the anthropometric classification of fat distribution shown by computed tomography. Br Med J Clin Res Ed 290, 1692–1694.

    Article  CAS  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  • Baumgartner RN, Roche AF, Chumlea WC, Siervogel RM, Glueck CJ (1987). Fatness and fat patterns: associations with plasma lipids and blood pressures in adults, 18 to 57 years of age. Am J Epidemiol 126, 614–628.

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Borkan GA, Hults DE, Gerzof SG, Burrows BA, Robbins AH (1983a). Relationships between computed tomography tissue areas, thicknesses and total body composition. Ann Hum Biol 10, 537–546.

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Borkan GA, Hults DE, Gerzof SG, Robbins AH, Silbert CK (1983b). Age changes in body composition revealed by computed tomography. J Gerontol 38, 673–677.

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Chowdhury B, Lantz H, Sjostrom L (1996). Computed tomography-determined body composition in relation to cardiovascular risk factors in Indian and matched Swedish males. Metabolism 45, 634–644.

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Conway JM, Yanovski SZ, Avila NA, Hubbard VS (1995). Visceral adipose tissue differences in black and white women. Am J Clin Nutr 61, 765–771.

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Despres JP, Allard C, Tremblay A, Talbot J, Bouchard C (1985). Evidence for a regional component of body fatness in the association with serum lipids in men and women. Metabolism 34, 967–973.

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Despres JP, Lamarche B (1993). Effects of diet and physical activity on adiposity and body fat distribution: implications for the prevention of cardiovascular disease. Nutr Res Rev 6, 137–159.

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Despres J-P, Nadeau A, Tremblay A, Ferland M, Moorjani S, Lupien PJ et al. (1989). Role of deep abdominal fat in the association between regional adipose tissue distribution and glucose tolerance in obese women. Diabetes 38, 304–309.

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Despres JP, Prud’homme D, Pouliot MC, Tremblay A, Bouchard C (1991). Estimation of deep abdominal adipose-tissue accumulation from simple anthropometric measurements in men. Am J Clin Nutr 54, 471–477.

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Ducimetiere P, Richard J, Cambien F (1986). The pattern of subcutaneous fat distribution in middle-aged men and the risk of coronary heart disease: the Paris Prospective Study. Int J Obes 10, 229–240.

    CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Edwards DAW (1950). Observations on the distributions of subcutaneous fat. Clin Sci 9, 259–270.

    CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Enzi G, Gasparo M, Biondetti PR, Fiore D, Semisa M, Zurlo F (1986). Subcutaneous and visceral fat distribution according to sex, age, and overweight, evaluated by computed tomography. Am J Clin Nutr 44, 739–746.

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Frisancho AR (1990). Necessity for new anthropometric standards. In: Anthropometric Standards for the Assessment of Growth and Nutritional Status, Frisancho AR (ed). University of Michigan Press: Ann Arbor, MI, pp 1–6.

    Chapter  Google Scholar 

  • Fujioka S, Matsuzawa Y, Tokunaga K, Tarui S (1987). Contribution of Intra-abdominal fat to the impairment of glucose and lipid metabolism in human obesity. Metabolism 36, 54–59.

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Garn SM (1957). Fat weight and fat placement in the female. Science 12, 1092–1093.

    Google Scholar 

  • Gibson RS (1990). Anthropometric assessment of body composition. In: Principles of Nutritional Assessment, Gibson RS (ed). Oxford University Press: New York, pp 187–208.

    Google Scholar 

  • Gopalan C (1998). Obesity in the Indian Urban ‘Middle Class’. Bulletin of the Nutrition Foundation of India 19, 1–5.

    Google Scholar 

  • Haffner SM, Stern MP, Hazuda HP, Pugh J, Patterson JK (1987). Do upper-body and centralized adiposity measure different aspects of regional body-fat distribution? Relationship to non-insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus, lipids, and lipoproteins. Diabetes 36, 43–51.

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Hunter GH, Snyder SW, Kekes Szabo T, Nicholson C, Berland L (1994). Intra abdominal adipose tissue values associated with risk of possessing elevated blood lipids and blood pressure. Obes Res 2, 563–568.

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Katch FI, McArdle WD (1983) In: Nutrition, Weight Control, and Exercise. Lea & Febiger: Philadelphia. PA.

    Google Scholar 

  • Kissebah AH, Vydelingum N, Murray R, Evans DJ, Hartz AJ, Kalkhoff RK et al. (1982). Relation of body fat distribution to metabolic complications of obesity. J Clin Endocrinol Metab 54, 254–260.

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Koester RS, Hunter GR, Snyder S, Khaled MA, Berland LL (1992). Estimation of computed tomography derived abdominal fat distribution. Int J Obesity 16, 543–554.

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Kotani K, Tokunaga K, Fujioka S, Kobatake T, Keno Y, Yoshida S et al. (1994). Sexual dimorphism of age-related changes in whole-body fat distribution in the obese. Int J Obes 18, 207–212.

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Krotkiewski M, Bjorntorp P, Sjostrom L, Smith U (1983). Impact of obesity on metabolism in men and women. Importance of regional adipose tissue distribution. J Clin Invest 72, 1150–1162.

    Article  CAS  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  • Lapidus L, Bengtsson C, Larsson B, Pennert K, Rybo E, Sjostrom L (1984). Distribution of adipose tissue and risk of cardiovascular disease and death: 12 year follow up of participants in the population study of women in Gothenburg, Sweden. Br Med J Clin Res 289, 1257–1261.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Larsson B, Svardsudd K, Welin L, Wilhelmsen L, Bjorntorp P, Tibblin G (1984). Abdominal adipose tissue distribution, obesity, and risk of cardiovascular disease and death: 13 year follow up of participants in the study of men born in 1913. Br Med J Clin Res 288, 1401–1404.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Leenen R, Van der Kooy K, Seidell JC, Deurenberg P (1992). Visceral fat accumulation measured by magnetic resonance imaging in relation to serum lipids in obese men and women. Atherosclerosis 94, 171–181.

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Lemieux S, Prud’homme D, Bouchard C, Tremblay A, Despres JP (1996). A single threshold value of waist girth identifies normal-weight and overweight subjects with excess visceral adipose tissue. Am J Clin Nutr 64, 685–693.

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Lovejoy JC, de la Bretonne JA, Klemperer M, Tulley R (1996). Abdominal fat distribution and metabolic risk factors: effects of race. Metabolism 45, 1119–1124.

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Lukaski HC (1987). Methods for the assessment of human body composition: traditional and new. Am J Clin Nutr 46, 537–556.

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • McKeigue PM, Shah B, Marmot MG (1991). Relation of central obesity and insulin resistance with high diabetes prevalence and cardiovascular risk in South Asians. Lancet 337, 382–386.

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Peiris AN, Sothmann MS, Hoffmann RG, Hennes MI, Wilson CR, Gustafson AB et al. (1989). Adiposity, fat distribution, and cardiovascular risk. Ann Intern Med 110, 867–872.

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Poirier P, Despres JP (2003). Obesity and cardiovascular disease 19, 943–949.

  • Pollock ML, Laughridge EE, Coleman B, Linnerud AC, Jackson A (1975). Prediction of body density in young and middle-aged women. J Appl Physiol 38, 745–749.

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Pouliot MC, Despres JP, Lemieux S, Moorjani S, Bouchard C, Tremblay A et al. (1994). Waist circumference and abdominal sagittal diameter: best simple anthropometric indexes of abdominal visceral adipose tissue accumulation and related cardiovascular risk in men and women. Am J Cardiol 73, 460–468.

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Pouliot MC, Despres JP, Nadeau A, Moorjani S, Prud’homme D, Lupien PJ et al. (1992). Visceral obesity in men. Associations with glucose tolerance, plasma insulin, and lipoprotein levels. Diabetes 41, 826–834.

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Rossner S, Bo WJ, Hiltbrandt E, Hinson W, Karstaedt N, Santago P et al. (1990). Adipose tissue determinations in cadavers a comparison between cross-sectional planimetry and computed tomography. Int J Obes 14, 893–902.

    CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Schwartz RS, Shuman WP, Bradbury VL, Cain KC, Fellingham GW, Beard JC et al. (1990). Body fat distribution in healthy young and older men. J Gerontol 45, M181–M185.

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Seidell JC, Oosterlee A, Deurenberg P, Hautvast JFAJ, Juijs JHJ (1988). Abdominal fat depots measured with computed tomography: effects of degree of obesity, sex, and age. Eur J Clin Nutr 42, 805–815.

    CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Seidell JC, Oosterlee A, Thijssen MA, Burema J, Deurenberg P, Hautvast JG et al. (1987). Assessment of intra-abdominal and subcutaneous abdominal fat: relation between anthropometry and computed tomography. Am J Clin Nutr 45, 7–13.

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Sjostrom L (1988). Measurement of fat distribution. In: Bouchard C, Johnston FE (eds). Fat distribution, during growth and later health outcomes: Current topics in nutrition and disease. Alan R Liss Inc.: New York, pp 43–61.

    Google Scholar 

  • Snehalatha C, Ramachandran A, Satyavani K, Yezhisai Vallabi M, Vijay V (1997). CAT Scan measurement of abdominal fat distribution and its correlation to anthropometry and insulin secretion in healthy Asian Indians. Metabolism 46, 1220–1224.

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • van der Kooy K, Leenen R, Seidell JC, Duerenberg P, Visser M (1993). Abdominal diameters as indicators of visceral fat: comparisons between magnetic resonance imaging and anthropometry. Br J Nutr 70, 47–58.

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Williams MJ, Hunter GR, Kekes Szabo T, Snyder S, Treuth MS (1997). Regional fat distribution in women and risk of cardiovascular disease. Am J Clin Nutr 65, 855–860.

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Weits T, van der Beek EJ, Wedel M, Ter Haar Romeny BM (1988). Computed tomography measurement of abdominal fat deposition in relation to anthropometry. Int J Obes 12, 217–225.

    CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

Download references

Acknowledgements

We are grateful to the subjects who underwent the CT scans, and to Late Professor KV Naidu, Director, Sri Venkateswara Institute of Medical Sciences (SVIMS), Tirupati and to Dr EV Prasad Rao, Former Professor in charge, Department of Radiology, SVIMS, Tirupati for facilitating this work.

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Food sciences and Nutrition, Sri Venkateswara University, Tirupati, India

    V Brundavani & S R Murthy

  2. Division of Nutrition, St John's Institute of Population Health and Clinical Research, Bangalore, India

    A V Kurpad

Authors
  1. V Brundavani
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. S R Murthy
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  3. A V Kurpad
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to V Brundavani.

Additional information

Guarantors: SR Murthy and AV Kurpad.

Contributor: VB.

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Cite this article

Brundavani, V., Murthy, S. & Kurpad, A. Estimation of deep-abdominal-adipose-tissue (DAAT) accumulation from simple anthropometric measurements in Indian men and women. Eur J Clin Nutr 60, 658–666 (2006). https://doi.org/10.1038/sj.ejcn.1602366

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Revised:

  • Accepted:

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/sj.ejcn.1602366

Keywords

This article is cited by

Search

Advanced search

Quick links