Age- and sex-specific reference intervals for visceral fat mass in adults.
Level 4 - case-series / case-control
Cross-sectional reference interval and normative modeling study.
PubMed 31201361 · doi:10.1038/s41366-019-0393-1
What was done
The authors developed age- and sex-specific reference intervals for dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry (DXA)-derived visceral adipose tissue (VAT) mass. Total body scans were performed on 3,219 UK adults aged 18–83 years (1,886 general population, 42% female; 1,333 athletes, 11% female) using a GE Lunar iDXA scanner with Corescan software (Encore version 15.0). Mean and standard deviation of Box-Cox transformed VAT mass were modelled as a function of age using generalised least squares with fractional polynomials, stratified by sex and athletic status, to generate 95% and 98% reference ranges and centile equations.
What was found
The abstract reports trajectory patterns rather than absolute numerical centile cutoffs: in the general population, average VAT mass increased with age until approximately 65–70 years before declining at older ages. In athletes, average VAT mass increased continuously with advancing age in both men and women. Model equations were produced to allow calculation of any centile across 5-year increments.
Why it matters
DXA is widely used to evaluate body composition, but interpreting visceral fat mass requires normative data. These sex-, age-, and athlete-specific centiles provide a standardized benchmark for clinicians and researchers evaluating visceral adiposity.
Limits
The study is cross-sectional rather than longitudinal, and specific numerical VAT thresholds are omitted from the abstract. Data were sparse in adults older than 65 years. Female athletes were substantially underrepresented (11% of the athletic cohort). Measurements were restricted to a single DXA manufacturer/software platform in a UK cohort, limiting generalizability across different DXA devices, ethnic groups, and sport disciplines.
Cited by
- supports Average visceral fat increases with age, measuring roughly 1.2 pounds in men and 0.5 pounds in women at age 30, 1.7 pounds in men and 0.7 pounds in women at age 40, 2.2 pounds in men and 1.0 pound in women at age 50, and 2.7 pounds in men and 1.54 pounds in women at age 60.