Body composition in normal subjects: relation to lipid and glucose variables

Area of Science:

• Human physiology
• Body composition analysis
• Metabolic health

Background:

• Understanding age- and sex-dependent body composition is crucial for metabolic health.
• Dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry (DXA) is a key tool for assessing body composition.
• Previous research indicates potential links between body composition and metabolic markers.

Purpose of the Study:

• To detail sex- and age-specific body composition values using DXA in healthy adults.
• To investigate the relationship between body composition and blood lipid, glucose, and insulin levels.

Main Methods:

• A cross-sectional study involving 173 healthy subjects (84 males, 89 females) with a Body Mass Index (BMI) under 30 kg/m².
• Measurement of total bone mineral content (TBMC), total bone mineral density (TBMD), lean body soft tissue mass (LTM), and total/regional fat mass (FM) via DXA.
• Analysis of fasting blood glucose, serum insulin (S-insulin), and lipid profiles in a subset of 87 participants.

Main Results:

• Body weight and total fat mass (FM) increased with age, with males exhibiting central fat accumulation.
• Lean body mass (LTM) decreased significantly in males but not females; bone mineral content (TBMC, TBMD) remained stable in males but declined in females.
• Relative fat mass (FM%BW) showed significant correlations with serum cholesterol, triglycerides, and, in males, serum insulin.

Conclusions:

• This study provides comprehensive sex- and age-specific body composition data for healthy adults with BMI < 30 kg/m².
• Age-related increases in fat mass and decreases in lean mass were observed, alongside central fat accumulation in males.
• The established link between central obesity and adverse lipid profiles was confirmed, even in non-obese individuals.