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Body composition, energy expenditure and physical activity

Association between fat mass, adipose tissue, fat fraction per adipose tissue, and metabolic risks: a cross-sectional study in normal, overweight, and obese adults

European Journal of Clinical Nutrition volume 73, pages 62–71 (2019)Cite this article

Subjects

Abstract

Background/objectives

We investigated whether fat mass (FM) and total adipose tissue (TAT) can be used interchangeably and FM per TAT adds to metabolic risk assessment.

Subjects/methods

Cross-sectional data were assessed in 377 adults (aged 18–60 years; 51.2% women). FM was measured by either 4-compartment (4C) model or quantitative magnetic resonance (QMR); total-, subcutaneous- and visceral adipose tissue (TAT, SAT, VAT), and liver fat by whole-body MRI; leptin, insulin, homeostasis model assessment of insulin resistance (HOMA-IR), C-reactive protein (CRP), and triglycerides; resting energy expenditure and respiratory quotient by indirect calorimetry were determined. Correlations and stepwise multivariate regression analyses were performed.

Results

FM4C and FMQMR were associated with TAT (r4C = 0.96, rQMR = 0.99) with a mean FM per TAT of 0.85 and 1.01, respectively. Regardless of adiposity, there was a considerable inter-individual variance of FM/TAT-ratio (FM4C/TAT-ratio: 0.77–0.94; FMQMR/TAT-ratio: 0.89–1.10). Both, FM4C and TAT were associated with metabolic risks. Further, FM4C/TAT-ratio was positively related to leptin but inversely with CRP. There was no association between FM4C/TAT-ratio and VAT/SAT or liver fat. FM4C/TAT-ratio added to the variance of leptin and CRP.

Conclusions

Independent of FM or TAT, FM4C/TAT-ratio adds to metabolic risk assessment. Therefore, the interchangeable use of FM and TAT to assess metabolic risks is questionable as both parameters may complement each other.

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Acknowledgements

This work was supported by the German Research Foundation (DFG MÜ 714/8-3; DFG BO 3296/1-1), the Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF 01EA1336), OMRON, Kyoto, Japan, and Seca GmbH & Co. KG (BCA-01).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Institute of Human Nutrition and Food Science, Christian-Albrechts-University, Kiel, Germany

    Mark Hübers, Corinna Geisler, Anja Bosy-Westphal, Wiebke Braun & Manfred J. Müller

  2. Department of Geriatric Medicine, Marien Hospital Herne, Ruhr-University Bochum, Bochum, Germany

    Maryam Pourhassan

  3. The Novo Nordisk Foundation Center for Basic Metabolic Research (Section on Metabolic Genetics), and the Department of Public Health, The Faculty of Health and Medical Science, University Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Denmark

    Thorkild I. A. Sørensen

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  1. Mark Hübers
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  2. Corinna Geisler
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Correspondence to Manfred J. Müller.

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Hübers, M., Geisler, C., Bosy-Westphal, A. et al. Association between fat mass, adipose tissue, fat fraction per adipose tissue, and metabolic risks: a cross-sectional study in normal, overweight, and obese adults. Eur J Clin Nutr 73, 62–71 (2019). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41430-018-0150-x

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