Endocrine Abstracts

Background: Generally, abdominal adipose tissue correlates stronger to decreased insulin sensitivity than what BMI does. In adults, males have more visceral adipose tissue (VAT) and less subcutaneous adipose tissue (SAT) than females. Comparisons between measures of body composition from magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), dual x-ray absorptiometry (DXA) and anthropometry have been studied previously; however not in preschool children.

Aim: This study compares abdominal and whole-body measures of body composition from MRI, DXA and anthropometry in preschool children and examined whether there are differences in the abdominal fat distribution between genders.

Methods: One-hundred-five children (57 boys, 48 girls) were recruited. Body composition was measured using a GE Lunar Prodigy DXA. Weight, height and waist circumference (WC) were recorded. In a subgroup of 33 boys and 18 girls, MRI was performed using sixteen T1-weighted slices over the entire abdomen. SAT and VAT volumes were measured using semi-automated segmentation.

Results: BMI, WC (cm), WHtR did not differ between genders. Total FM% and truncal FM% measured with DXA differed between genders (21 and 17% in girls versus 17 and 13% in boys, respectively (P<0.01)), but this was not the case in the subgroup. Total LM (kg) and truncal LM (kg) was increased in boys compared with girls (11.7 kg and 6.5 kg in girls, and 12.7 kg and 7.1 kg in boys, (P<0.001)). This gender difference was also seen in the subgroup (P<0.01). Boys had significantly more VAT than girls (0.17 (L) vs 0.10 (L), P<0.001). Abdominal SAT measured with MRI correlated to truncal fat mass measured with DXA (r=0.91, P<0.001) while VAT did not. Neither BMI nor WC correlated to VAT. Conclussion: DXA and anthropometric fat measures correlate stronger to MRI measures of SAT than of VAT. From these data boys seem to have more VAT than girls already at this young age.

Declaration of interest: The authors declare that there is no conflict of interest that could be perceived as prejudicing the impartiality of the research project.

Funding: This work was supported, however funding details unavailable.