Study of differences in subcutaneous fat distribution based on ethnicity and sex in high-level competitive athletes

This study aimed to analyse differences in the profile of subcutaneous fat between Black and Caucasian athletes of both sexes. An anthropometric study was performed on 303 athletes (202 White and 101 Black). The protocol included: weight, height, sitting height, arm span, circumference of waist and hip, and nine skinfold measurements. The sums of skinfolds and fat percentage were calculated by different equations: athlete-specific (Withers 1987, cited by Norton 1996), generalised (Durning-Womersley 1974; Jackson-Pollock 1985) and according to ethnic group (Davidson 2011; Evans 2005). Black males had less subcutaneous fat in pectoral, triceps and lower limb and more in subscapularis. Meanwhile Black women had less in anterior thigh and more in subscapularis in relation to Caucasian women. In both sexes, Black athletes had a greater ratio of sum of upper limb/lower limb and lesser ratio of sum of anterior/posterior zone. The fat percentage for Black men was less in three of the equations and less for women in the Evans equation. The highest degree of agreement between the fat estimated by Evans and the other equations was with Withers and Jackson-Pollock. This sexual and racial dimorphism in the anthropometric profile must be considered in assessment.