title: Adipose tissue in muscle: a novel depot similar in size to visceral adipose tissue.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  The manner in which fat depot volumes and distributions, particularly the adipose tissue (AT) between the muscles, vary by race is unknown.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  The objective was to quantify a previously unstudied and novel intermuscular AT (IMAT) depot and subcutaneous AT, visceral AT (VAT), and total-body skeletal muscle mass in healthy sedentary African American (AA), Asian, and white adults by whole-body magnetic resonance imaging. IMAT is the AT between muscles and within the boundary of the muscle fascia.
  
  
  METHODS
  Analyses were conducted on 227 women [AA (n = 79): body mass index (BMI; in kg/m(2)), 29.0 +/- 5.5; age, 45.7 +/- 16.9 y; Asian (n = 38): BMI, 21.7 +/- 2.9; age, 47.2 +/- 19.9 y; whites (n = 110): BMI, 24.9 +/- 5.4; age, 43.7 +/- 16.2 y]) and 111 men [AA (n = 39): BMI, 25.6 +/- 3.2; age, 45.5 +/- 18.8 y; Asian (n = 13): BMI, 24.9 +/- 2.5; age, 45.6 +/- 25.0 y; white (n = 59): BMI, 25.8 +/- 3.8; age 44.5 +/- 16.3 y].
  
  
  RESULTS
  IMAT depots were not significantly different in size between race groups at low levels of adiposity; however, with increasing adiposity, AAs had a significantly greater increment in the proportion of total AT (TAT) than did the whites and Asians (58, 46, and 44 g IMAT/kg TAT, respectively; P = 0.001). VAT depots were not significantly different in size at low levels of adiposity but, with increasing adiposity, VAT accumulation was greater than IMAT accumulation in the Asians and whites; no significant differences were observed in AAs.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Race differences in AT distribution extend to IMAT, a depot that may influence race-ethnicity differences in dysglycemia.
authors.affiliation: Department of Medicine, Obesity Research Center, St Luke's-Roosevelt Hospital, New York, NY, USA.
authors.forename: Dympna
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Gallagher
authors.forename: Patrick
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Kuznia
authors.forename: Stanley
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Heshka
authors.forename: Jeanine
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Albu
authors.forename: Steven B
authors.initials: SB
authors.lastname: Heymsfield
authors.forename: Bret
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Goodpaster
authors.forename: Marjolein
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Visser
authors.forename: Tamara B
authors.initials: TB
authors.lastname: Harris
mesh_terms: D000273:Adipose Tissue / Q000033:anatomy & histology* / Q000378:metabolism; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D000375:Aging / Q000502:physiology*; D001213:Asian; D044383:Black People; D001823:Body Composition; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008279:Magnetic Resonance Imaging; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D018482:Muscle, Skeletal / Q000033:anatomy & histology* / Q000378:metabolism; D014018:Tissue Distribution; D044465:White People; D001741:Black or African American