title: Body fat distribution in women with polycystic ovary syndrome.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To investigate body fat distribution in women with polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS).
  
  
  METHODS
  Body weight, body mass index (BMI), and six indices of body fat measured by dual-energy x-ray absorptiometry were compared in 40 women with PCOS and 97 age-matched controls. The possible correlations between the body fat characteristics and serum androgen levels were evaluated in the 40 PCOS women. Body fat distribution was classified into upper- (N = 24) and lower-half body type (N = 16), and androgen levels and the incidence of hirsutism were compared in the two types.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The BMI, body fat ratio, upper-half body fat ratio, and upper-half/lower-half body fat ratio were significantly higher in PCOS women than in controls. After adjustment for age, height, and body weight, the upper-half/lower-half body fat ratio was still significant (P < .001). The PCOS subjects exhibited a significant positive correlation between the upper-half/lower-half body fat ratio and dehydroepiandrosterone-sulfate (DHEA-S) levels (r = 0.607, P < .01) as well as testosterone levels (r = 0.585, P < .05). Dehydroepiandrosterone-sulfate and testosterone levels were significantly higher in those with the upper-half body type than in those with the lower-half body type (P < .001). After adjustment for confounding variables, only DHEA-S was still significantly higher in this body type (P < .05).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Serum DHEA-S levels seem to be associated with upper-half body fat distribution in women with PCOS, irrespective of body weight.
authors.affiliation: Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Faculty of Medicine, Kagoshima University, Japan.
authors.forename: T
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Douchi
authors.forename: H
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Ijuin
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Nakamura
authors.forename: T
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Oki
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Yamamoto
authors.forename: Y
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Nagata
mesh_terms: D000273:Adipose Tissue; D000328:Adult; D015992:Body Mass Index; D001835:Body Weight; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D011085:Polycystic Ovary Syndrome