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Skeletal Muscle Gender Dimorphism from Proteomics
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Sex Differences in Body Composition.

Miriam A Bredella1,2

  • 1Department of Radiology, Division of Musculoskeletal Radiology and Interventions, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, MA, USA. mbredella@mgh.harvard.edu.

Advances in Experimental Medicine and Biology
|December 11, 2017
PubMed
Summary
This summary is machine-generated.

Men and women exhibit distinct body compositions, with differences in fat distribution and ectopic fat depots. This review explores these sex-based variations and their impact on cardiometabolic risk, highlighting advanced imaging techniques.

Keywords:
Body compositionBrown adipose tissueIntrahepatic lipidsIntramyocellular lipidsMuscle massNeck adipose tissuePericardial adipose tissueSex differencesSubcutaneous adipose tissueTongue adipose tissueVisceral adipose tissue

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Area of Science:

  • Human physiology
  • Medical imaging
  • Metabolic health

Background:

  • Body composition varies significantly between sexes, with men typically having more lean mass and women more fat mass.
  • Sex-specific patterns of adipose tissue distribution exist, with men accumulating visceral fat and women subcutaneous fat, particularly in the hips and thighs.
  • Ectopic fat depots and their sex differences are less understood, despite their link to metabolic health.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To review sex differences in regional adipose tissue, muscle mass, ectopic lipids, and brown adipose tissue.
  • To discuss the impact of these body composition differences on cardiometabolic risk.
  • To describe novel noninvasive imaging techniques for quantifying these body composition compartments.

Main Methods:

  • Review of existing literature on sex differences in body composition and cardiometabolic risk.
  • Discussion of advancements in noninvasive imaging techniques, including MRI and CT scans.
  • Synthesis of data on ectopic fat quantification in various depots.

Main Results:

  • Men and women differ in lean mass, overall fat mass, and regional fat distribution (abdominal vs. gluteal-femoral).
  • Sex differences are observed in ectopic fat accumulation, including intramyocellular, intrahepatic, and pericardial adipose tissue.
  • Brown adipose tissue and tongue adipose tissue also exhibit sex-specific characteristics.

Conclusions:

  • Understanding sex differences in body composition and ectopic fat is crucial for assessing cardiometabolic risk.
  • Novel imaging techniques provide valuable tools for noninvasive quantification of these differences.
  • Further research is needed to fully elucidate the clinical implications of these sex-based variations.