Characteristics of Body Fat, Body Fat Percentage and Other Body Composition for Koreans from KNHANES IV

Abstract

Accurate measurement of fat mass has become increasingly important with the increasing incidence of obesity. We assessed fat and muscle mass of Koreans with the Korea National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey IV (KNHANES IV). We studied 10,456 subjects (aged 20 to 85 yr; 4,476 men, 5,980 women). Fat and muscle mass were measured by dual-energy x-ray absorptiometry. Reference values of body compositions were obtained using the LMS method. The fat mass index (FMI, body fat mass/height2; kg/m2) of Korean men did not correlate with age (P = 0.452), but those of Korean women (P < 0.001) did. The ratio of percentage of fat in the trunk and legs was positively related with age in both the genders. The appendicular lean mass/height2 (kg/m2) of Korean men was negatively related to age (P < 0.001). In women, this ratio increased with age (P < 0.001). When we defined obesity according to the FMI classification, the rates of obesity were 6.1% (FMI > 9 kg/m2) in men and 2.7% (FMI > 13 kg/m2) in women. It is concluded that the muscle mass decreases and obesity increases with aging in Korean men, whereas both fat mass and obesity increase with aging in Korean women.

Association between dental caries and obesity evaluated by air displacement plethysmography in 18‐year‐old adolescents in Pelotas, Brazil

“…It is currently classified as one of the most accurate assessment methods to determine body composition and differentiate FFM from FM (22). However, it should be taken into account that DEXA uses X-rays, in addition to having physical restrictions regarding the weight and height of individuals, which may limit its use in population-based studies (20,36). ADP, in turn, does not have those limitations and is a safe and efficient method to estimate %BF (24,37).…”

“…Although recommended by the WHO, body mass index (BMI) does not measure body composition directly and can give questionable results (20,21); thus, it is doubtful whether BMI is a suitable measurement to assess and classify obesity in different populations, because it does not distinguish between fat-free mass (FFM) and fat mass (FM) (22). Body fat percentage (%BF) may be a more accurate measure when the goal is to classify individuals as overweight or obese (21).…”

Scaling of adult body weight to height across sex and race/ethnic groups: relevance to BMI

“…During KNHANES IV and V, DXA studies were conducted from June 2007 to July 2011. In this study we used data from 2008 to 2009 (KNHANES IV) and 2010 (KNHANES V) (17,18).…”

“…The sample included data from the NHANES and KNHANES (16)(17)(18). Subjects aged $18 y who participated in the crosssectional NHANES 1999-2006 study who had dual X-ray absorptiometry (DXA) evaluations were included in the analyses.…”

“…The 1999-2006 NHANES (15,16) and the 2008-2010 Korean NHANES (KNHANES) (17,18) provide a new opportunity to explore these 2 questions in large-population samples that include men and women in 4 main race/ethnic groups: non-Hispanic (NH) whites, NH blacks, Mexican Americans, and Asian Koreans. The protocols used in NHANES and KNHANES are identical to the extent possible and thus provide a unique opportunity to examine scaling relations across 4 major race/ ethnic groups without concern for between-study measure-ment calibration and quality issues.…”