title: Regional body volumes, BMI, waist circumference, and percentage fat in severely obese adults.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  This study presents total body volume (TBV) and regional body volume, and their relationships with widely used body composition indices [BMI, waist circumference (WC), and percentage body fat (% fat)] in severely obese adults (BMI >or=35 kg/m(2)).
  
  
  METHODS
  We measured TBV, trunk volume (TV), arm volume (AV), leg volume (LV), and WC and estimated % fat in 32 severely obese persons with BMI 36 to 62 kg/m(2) (23 women; age, 19 to 65 years; weight, 91 to 182 kg) and in 58 persons with BMI <35 kg/m(2) (28 women; age, 18 to 83 years; weight, 48 to 102 kg) using a newly validated 3-day photonic image scanner (3DPS, Model C9036-02, Hamamatsu Co., Japan) and calculated TV/TBV, AV/TBV, and LV/TBV.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Men had significantly larger TBV and higher TV/TBV and AV/TBV, but significantly lower LV/TBV than women, independently of BMI. TV/TBV increased while AV/TBV and LV/TBV decreased with increasing BMI, WC, and % fat, and the rate of increase in TV/TBV per % fat was significantly greater in severely obese individuals than in individuals with BMI <35 kg/m(2). The relationships for TBV with % fat were much lower than with BMI or WC.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Body volume gains were mainly in the trunk region in adults, irrespective of sex or BMI. For a given BMI, WC, or % fat, men had a significantly larger TV than women. The implication is that men could have higher health risks due to having higher trunk body weight as a proportion of total body weight compared with severely obese or less severely obese women.
authors: Body Composition Unit, New York Obesity Research Center, St. Luke's-Roosevelt Hospital, Columbia University, New York 10025, USA. jw9@columbia.edu
authors: Jack
authors: J
authors: Wang
authors: Dympna
authors: D
authors: Gallagher
authors: John C
authors: JC
authors: Thornton
authors: Wen
authors: W
authors: Yu
authors: Rich
authors: R
authors: Weil
authors: Betty
authors: B
authors: Kovac
authors: F Xavier
authors: FX
authors: Pi-Sunyer
mesh_terms: D050153:Abdominal Fat / Q000473:pathology / Q000503:physiopathology; D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D001823:Body Composition / Q000502:physiology*; D050218:Body Fat Distribution; D015992:Body Mass Index; D001835:Body Weight / Q000502:physiology*; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D003627:Data Interpretation, Statistical; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007091:Image Processing, Computer-Assisted / Q000295:instrumentation / Q000379:methods; D016014:Linear Models; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009765:Obesity / Q000503:physiopathology*; D012727:Sex Characteristics; D049629:Waist-Hip Ratio