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
Surprising Findings
People with low outer fat but high inner fat have worse metabolic health despite lower BMI and waist size
Common belief is that higher BMI/waist size always means higher risk, but this shows the opposite pattern can be more dangerous
Practical Takeaways
Ask your doctor about body composition scans (like CT or MRI) if you have normal BMI but family history of metabolic disease
Not medical advice. For informational purposes only. Always consult a healthcare professional. Terms
Surprising Findings
People with low outer fat but high inner fat have worse metabolic health despite lower BMI and waist size
Common belief is that higher BMI/waist size always means higher risk, but this shows the opposite pattern can be more dangerous
Practical Takeaways
Ask your doctor about body composition scans (like CT or MRI) if you have normal BMI but family history of metabolic disease
Publication
Journal
Diabetes Care
Year
2009
Authors
Karla M. Pou, J. Massaro, U. Hoffmann, Kathrin Lieb, R. Vasan, C. O’Donnell, C. Fox
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.