Trunk and Lower Limb Fat Mass Evaluated by Dual-Energy X-Ray Absorptiometry in a 20- to 80-Year-Old Healthy Italian Population

Abstract

Background and Aims: Global fat mass distribution seems to correlate with different levels of cardio-metabolic risk; centrally distributed fat carries a high risk of cardiovascular disease, while lower limb adiposity may have a protective effect against insulin resistance. Reference data regarding body composition have already been published for the Italian population; the aim of this study was to add reference values for trunk and lower limb fat mass, and their ratio (TLR), developing percentile distributions for age brackets between 20 and 80 years. Methods: A retrospective analysis of a multicenter, cross-sectional study was conducted and 1,570 healthy Italian adults (1,241 females and 329 males) were selected. The regional fat mass, measured by dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry total body scan, was analyzed and the TLR was calculated. Results: In both genders we observed higher trunk fat mass values in older subjects against a smaller difference in BMI values. The leg fat mass was higher in old men, while it was similar in women at different ages. The TLR values in older subjects doubled those of younger subjects in both genders (62% in males and 71% in females). Conclusions: The identified ranges for trunk, leg fat mass, and TLR may be used as reference values to describe the global fat mass distribution in healthy individuals and to identify states of altered body fat distribution.

Body Composition Analysis by Dual-Energy X-Ray Absorptiometry in Women Aged 20-75 Years

“…Our data are different from the published body composition indices in a 20-to-80-year-old healthy Italian population [18].…”

“…However, data of both studies are similar for the total body LM, which is decreasing with advancing age. A similar trend for increasing the total body FM and % FM throughout life was observed in Italian subjects [18,19]. On the contrary, a study in healthy Brazilian women registered a bimodal distribution of body fat-increasing until 50-59, with a slight subsequent decrease [17].…”

“…A number of studies have published body composition estimates coming from Asia, Europe and North America [11][12][13][14][15][16][17][18][19][20]. Few among them have examined the relationships of FM and LM with BMD [13,14,16], while others have suggested local reference values [11,12,15,17,18,20].…”

“…However, the interpretation of body compartment estimates necessitates some reference values. A number of studies have published data from various reference populations-Europeans, Asians and Americans [11][12][13][14][15][16][17][18][19][20]. The DXA manufacturers incorporate different reference databases, primarily for bone mineral density and content (BMD and BMC).…”

Estimating the Total and Regional Body Fat of Physically Active Men Is Not Appropriate for Sedentary Men

“…The predictive body fat equation developed from the Western population might not be appropriate for application to the Asian population. It has been demonstrated that body fat values are not consistent between young, middle-aged, and older-aged males (Coin et al, 2012;Ihasz, Finn, Lepes, Halasi, & Szabo, 2015;Larsson et al, 2015). Previous studies have shown that lower body fat was observed by active men compared to sedentary counterparts (Kyle, Morabia, Schutz, & Pichard, 2004;Scheers, Philippaerts, & Lefevre, 2013).…”