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THE NON-ADIPOSE BODY MASS OF OBESE WOMEN: EVIDENCE OF INCREASED MUSCULARITY
Canadian Medical Association Journal
|March 21, 1964
Summary
Obese women possess greater non-adipose body mass (NAB), indicating increased muscle mass. This finding is crucial for understanding body composition and physical fitness in obesity.
Area of Science:
- Body composition analysis
- Human physiology
- Obesity research
Background:
- Non-adipose body mass (NAB) serves as a proxy for muscle mass and protein content.
- Assessing NAB is relevant for evaluating physical fitness and identifying metabolic obesity.
- Obesity can complicate accurate body composition assessments.
Purpose of the Study:
- To determine non-adipose body mass (NAB) in obese women.
- To investigate the relationship between obesity and muscle mass.
- To assess the utility of NAB as an indicator in obese populations.
Main Methods:
- Body weight and total body water were measured in 48 obese and 19 normally nourished women.
- Adipose tissue mass and NAB were calculated using established water fraction constants.
- Comparisons were made between obese subgroups and a control group.
Main Results:
- Mean NAB was significantly higher in moderately obese women (42.1 kg) compared to controls (35.2 kg).
- Grossly obese women exhibited an even higher mean NAB (51.3 kg).
- Height-weight tables proved unreliable for assessing obesity in muscular individuals.
Conclusions:
- Obese women generally have a larger mean muscle mass than non-obese individuals.
- Increased NAB in obesity suggests greater muscle mass, not just fat accumulation.
- Standard obesity metrics may be misleading in individuals with high muscle mass.