Browse evidence-based analysis of health-related claims and assertions
Looking at fat in the trunk and legs compared to overall body fat is important for understanding body composition, even more than just knowing gender differences.
Descriptive
Total body fat, gender, and age account for most of the differences in leg fat among people.
Quantitative
Women with a healthy weight and normal overall body fat have more fat in their legs relative to their total body fat and trunk fat compared to obese people, but men with healthy weight don't show this pattern.
Using both waist size and handgrip strength together predicts metabolic syndrome better than using either one alone.
Adults with the smallest handgrip strength and largest waist size had over 4 times higher risk of metabolic syndrome issues in women and over 8 times in men compared to those with strongest grip and smallest waist.
Correlational
People with weaker handgrip strength relative to their body weight tend to have worse metabolic syndrome scores.
Having a larger waist circumference is the main indicator of metabolic syndrome risk in adults from middle-income countries.
About 42% of the 5,000 adults studied in a middle-income country had metabolic syndrome, with 64% being women and an average age of 51.
A rare gene mutation in women (rs150090666) caused higher body fat but also better cholesterol levels (higher HDL, lower TG).
25 gene variants across 4 locations had different effects on body fat in men versus women.
The genes discovered explained about 3.35% of body fat differences in men and 2.60% in women.
While body fat percentage was genetically linked to heart disease and diabetes risk, the data didn't support that body fat directly causes these conditions.
Using genetic data, researchers found no evidence that body fat percentage directly causes diabetes, heart disease, or changes in cholesterol/triglycerides in men or women.
A specific gene variant (rs998584) linked to higher body fat in men also led to more fat in the hips/thighs, less belly fat, and lower risk of diabetes and heart disease.
In women, most genes linked to body fat (75%) didn't affect cholesterol, triglycerides, diabetes, or heart disease risk.
In men, most genes linked to body fat (68%) didn't affect cholesterol, triglycerides, diabetes, or heart disease risk.
Researchers discovered 7 new genes related to body fat in men and 10 new ones in women that weren't known before to affect body fat or related health issues.
Scientists found different sets of genes related to body fat in men and women; men have 195 genes linked to body fat, women have 174, and only 38 genes are common to both groups.
Using existing CT scans for belly fat analysis with QCT doesn't add any extra radiation, making it a safe way to check body fat without extra scans.
When testing the upper body fat prediction equations in women, the average difference from DXA measurements was small (0.47%), with most predictions falling within a range of -6.43% to 7.38%.
When testing the belly fat prediction equations in men, the average difference from DXA measurements was small (1.31%), with most predictions falling within a range of -4.08% to 6.71%.
For Chinese men, belly fat measurements from the lowest CT slice can predict lower body fat with 65% accuracy, while for women, this prediction also requires age information and has 51% accuracy.
For Chinese women, belly fat measurements from a CT slice at the L3/L4 level combined with BMI can predict upper body fat distribution with 86% accuracy compared to DXA scans.
For Chinese men, combining belly fat measurements from a CT slice at the L1/L2 level with BMI can predict upper body fat distribution with 90% accuracy compared to DXA scans.