Total body skeletal muscle and adipose tissue volumes: estimation from a single abdominal cross-sectional image

• Published in: Journal of applied physiology (1985) Vol. 97; no. 6; pp. 2333 - 2338
• Main Authors: Shen, Wei, Punyanitya, Mark, Wang, ZiMian, Gallagher, Dympna, St.-Onge, Marie-Pierre, Albu, Jeanine, Heymsfield, Steven B, Heshka, Stanley
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Bethesda, MD Am Physiological Soc 01.12.2004; American Physiological Society
• Subjects: Abdomen - anatomy & histology; Adipose tissue; Adipose Tissue - anatomy & histology; Adult; Aged; Biological and medical sciences; Body Composition; Female; Fundamental and applied biological sciences. Psychology; Humans; Magnetic Resonance Imaging - methods; Magnetic Resonance Imaging - standards; Male; Middle Aged; Muscle, Skeletal - anatomy & histology; Muscular system; Predictive Value of Tests; Reproducibility of Results; Research methodology; Scientific imaging; Tissues; computed tomography; Vertebrata; magnetic resonance imaging; Mammalia; Adipose tissue; Tomography; Striated muscle; Nuclear magnetic resonance imaging; Body composition
• ISSN: 8750-7587; 1522-1601
• DOI: 10.1152/japplphysiol.00744.2004

Obesity Research Center, St. Luke’s-Roosevelt Hospital, and Institute of Human Nutrition, Columbia University, College of Physicians and Surgeons, New York, New York 10025 Submitted 16 July 2004 ; accepted in final form 12 August 2004 A single abdominal cross-sectional computerized axial tomography and magnetic resonance image is often obtained in studies examining adipose tissue (AT) distribution. An abdominal image might also provide additional useful information on total body skeletal muscle (SM) and AT volumes with related physiological insights. We therefore investigated the relationships between abdominal SM and AT areas from single images and total body component volumes in a large and diverse sample of healthy adult subjects. Total body SM and AT volumes were derived by whole body multislice magnetic resonance imaging in 123 men [age (mean ± SD) of 41.6 ± 15.8 yr; body mass index of 25.9 ± 3.4 kg/m 2 ] and 205 women (age of 47.8 ± 18.7 yr; body mass index of 26.7 ± 5.6 kg/m 2 ). Single abdominal SM and AT slice areas were highly correlated with total body SM ( r = 0.71–0.92; r = 0.90 at L 4 –L 5 intervertebral space) and AT ( r = 0.84–0.96; r = 0.94 at L 4 –L 5 intervertebral space) volumes, respectively. R 2 increased by only 5.7–6.1% for SM and 2.7–4.4% for AT with the inclusion of subject sex, age, ethnicity, scanning position, body mass index, and waist circumference in the model. The developed SM and AT models were validated in an additional 49 subjects. To achieve equivalent power to a study measuring total body SM or AT volumes, a study using a single abdominal image would require 17–24% more subjects for SM and 6–12% more subjects for AT. Measurement of a single abdominal image can thus provide estimates of total body SM and AT for group studies of healthy adults. magnetic resonance imaging; computed tomography; body composition Address for reprint requests and other correspondence: W. Shen, Weight Control Unit, 1090 Amsterdam Ave., 14th floor, New York City, NY 10025 (E-mail: WS2003{at}Columbia.edu )