Fat isn't always where it looks
Patterns of Abdominal Fat Distribution
Not medical advice. For informational purposes only. Always consult a healthcare professional. Terms
Even if you look thin, you might have dangerous fat inside your belly. Doctors can't always tell by just measuring weight or waist size.
No biological mechanisms were identified in this study. This may be an epidemiological, observational, or survey-based study that reports associations rather than proposing causal biological pathways.
Systematic Reviews & Meta-Analyses
Max 100Randomized Controlled Trials
Max 90Cohort Studies
Max 72Case-Control Studies
Max 58Cross-Sectional Studies
Max 44Case Reports & Case Series
Max 30Expert Opinion & Narrative Reviews
Max 556 / 44
Evidence Score
A snapshot of a population at a single point in time. Can identify correlations and prevalence, but cannot determine the direction of cause and effect.
Not medical advice. For informational purposes only. Always consult a healthcare professional. Terms
Even if you look thin, you might have dangerous fat inside your belly. Doctors can't always tell by just measuring weight or waist size.
No biological mechanisms were identified in this study. This may be an epidemiological, observational, or survey-based study that reports associations rather than proposing causal biological pathways.
Systematic Reviews & Meta-Analyses
Max 100Randomized Controlled Trials
Max 90Cohort Studies
Max 72Case-Control Studies
Max 58Cross-Sectional Studies
Max 44Case Reports & Case Series
Max 30Expert Opinion & Narrative Reviews
Max 556 / 44
Evidence Score
A snapshot of a population at a single point in time. Can identify correlations and prevalence, but cannot determine the direction of cause and effect.
Publication
Authors
Pou KM, Massaro JM, Hoffmann U, Lieb K, Vasan RS, O'Donnell CJ, Fox CS
Related Content
Claims (9)
Men typically exhibit higher body fat percentage in the abdominal region compared to other body regions.
In a group of middle-aged people, about 3 out of 10 women and men have too much fat under the skin of the belly, while about 4 out of 10 have too much fat around their internal organs, based on CT scans.
Among people with a normal weight (BMI under 30), about 1 in 10 men and 1 in 9 women have too much fat around their internal organs, showing that weight alone doesn't always reveal hidden health risks.
Even people with a normal waist size can have too much fat around their organs: about 1 in 4 men and 1 in 12 women in this study had this hidden fat, showing waist size alone isn't always reliable.
Even among people classified as obese by BMI, about 1 in 4 men and 1 in 10 women don't have excess fat around their organs, showing BMI doesn't always reflect internal fat levels.