title: Health and ageing: a cross-sectional study of body composition.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  The aim of this work was to provide a complete profile of body composition (BC) in healthy subjects and to investigate age and gender-related differences by dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry (DXA) and its latest developments.
  
  
  METHODS
  Italian volunteers among blood donors were enrolled in 5 different age bands (from 18 to 70 years old) to reach the threshold of 25 males and 25 females per single band (total: 250 subjects). All non-obese subjects who satisfied selective inclusion criteria were measured for weight and height and submitted to DXA, to determine fat mass (FM), non-bone lean mass (LM), bone mineral content and density, at regional and whole-body level. Moreover, the assessment of android visceral FM was performed by a new software.
  
  
  RESULTS
  A decrease in LM and increase in FM was observed with ageing, although the phenomenon was proved to be attenuated in women. The central and visceral redistribution of FM was also shown along lifetime, but women were not affected as men by this change.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  This paper is a report on the status of healthy Italian subjects in their adulthood, to be used as a reference for future investigations on physiology, pathological human conditions, and differences between countries.
authors.affiliation: Imaging Division, Clinical Department of Radiological and Histocytopathological Sciences, University of Bologna, Sant'Orsola - Malpighi Hospital, Via G Massarenti 9, 40138 Bologna, Italy. abazzo@inwind.it
authors.forename: Alberto
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Bazzocchi
authors.forename: Danila
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Diano
authors.forename: Federico
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Ponti
authors.forename: Andrea
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Andreone
authors.forename: Claudia
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Sassi
authors.forename: Ugo
authors.initials: U
authors.lastname: Albisinni
authors.forename: Giulio
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Marchesini
authors.forename: Giuseppe
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Battista
mesh_terms: D015502:Absorptiometry, Photon; D000273:Adipose Tissue; D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000375:Aging / Q000502:physiology*; D001823:Body Composition; D015992:Body Mass Index; D001835:Body Weight; D015519:Bone Density / Q000502:physiology; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007558:Italy; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011446:Prospective Studies; D044465:White People; D055815:Young Adult