Body fat deposition in adult obese women. II Changes in fat distribution accompanying weight reduction

• Published in: The American journal of clinical nutrition Vol. 47; no. 2; pp. 229 - 234
• Main Authors: Wadden, T A, Stunkard, A J, Johnston, F E, Wang, J, Pierson, R N, Van Itallie, T B, Costello, E, Peña, M
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Bethesda, MD Elsevier Inc 01-02-1988; American Society for Clinical Nutrition
• Subjects: Adipose Tissue - pathology; Adult; Analysis of Variance; Anthropometry; Biological and medical sciences; Body Surface Area; Body Weight; COMPOSICION DE LA CANAL; COMPOSITION DE LA CARCASSE; Diet, Reducing; DIETA TERAPEUTICA; Female; FEMME; Humans; Medical sciences; Metabolic diseases; Middle Aged; MUJERES; Obesity; Obesity - diet therapy; Obesity - pathology; REGIME THERAPEUTIQUE; Skinfold Thickness; SOBREPESO; SURPOIDS; TEJIDO ADIPOSO; TISSU ADIPEUX; Human; Obesity; Adipose tissue; Weight loss; Adult; Woman; Localization
• ISSN: 0002-9165; 1938-3207
• DOI: 10.1093/ajcn/47.2.229

This study examined changes in body fat distribution in 68 women who lost an average of 12.3 kg from an initial weight of 103.6 kg. Weight reduction was accompanied by a small but statistically significant reduction of 1.2% in the waist-to-hip ratio, suggestive of a reduction in upper-body obesity. Subjects with greater upper-body obesity tended to achieve greater reductions in the waist-to-hip ratio. Changes in five circumference measures were highly correlated with losses of fat and showed that subjects with lower-body obesity tended to lose large amounts of fat from both their upper and lower fat depots while subjects with upper-body obesity lost fat primarily from their upper depots. Women with lower-body obesity tended to lose more total body fat than did women with upper body obesity (r = -0.26, p less than 0.04).