title: Absolute fat mass, percent body fat, and body-fat distribution: which is the real determinant of blood pressure and serum glucose?
abstract: Associations of body mass index (BMI), absolute fat mass, percent body fat, and regional fat distribution with concentrations of fasting blood glucose and blood pressure were examined cross-sectionally in 1551 men and women aged 15-79 y from two study centers. Measurements included height, weight, multiple skinfold thicknesses, body density by underwater weighing, and waist and hip girths. Three principal findings emerged: 1) Absolute overall body mass and fat mass were stronger predictors of blood pressure and blood glucose than were relative fat mass, after age, height, and current cigarette-smoking status were adjusted for; 2) when diastolic blood pressure and serum glucose were used as the external validity criteria, densitometry was not a "gold standard" for body composition associated with risk for increased blood pressure and serum glucose; and 3) BMI was as good a predictor of blood pressure and glucose as was any other measure of body fat in nearly all analyses.
authors.affiliation: Department of Community Health, Tufts University School of Medicine, Boston, MA 02111.
authors.forename: D
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Spiegelman
authors.forename: R G
authors.initials: RG
authors.lastname: Israel
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Bouchard
authors.forename: W C
authors.initials: WC
authors.lastname: Willett
mesh_terms: D000273:Adipose Tissue / Q000033:anatomy & histology*; D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000886:Anthropometry; D001786:Blood Glucose / Q000032:analysis*; D001794:Blood Pressure; D001823:Body Composition; D001827:Body Height; D015992:Body Mass Index; D001835:Body Weight; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D003720:Densitometry; D003920:Diabetes Mellitus / Q000209:etiology; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D006973:Hypertension / Q000209:etiology; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009765:Obesity / Q000150:complications; D012307:Risk Factors; D012885:Skinfold Thickness; D012907:Smoking
chemical_list: D001786:Blood Glucose