In this study, abdominal adipose tissue distribution was determined using magnetic resonance imaging in a large cohort of British children. A total of 96 boys and 74 girls an average of 13 years of age were selected from the Avon Longitudinal Study of Parents and Children (ALSPAC). No gender differences were observed for waist circumference, though differences were found for sexual maturity, height, weight, body mass index (BMI), intra-abdominal (IA) and subcutaneous (SC) adipose tissue volumes, and IA/SC ratio. A larger amount of IA (p=0.036) and SC (p=0.003) adipose tissue was observed in girls (154.2 cm3 and 1569.2 cm3, respectively) when compared to boys (117.2 cm3 and 1116.5 cm3, respectively). Boys were found to have a higher IA/SC ratio, indicating that they are more prone to IA deposition than girls (p=0.002). When boys and girls were divided into three BMI groups (normal, overweight, and obese), increasing adiposity meant a larger amount of IA and SC adipose tissue. Moreover, obese boys had a lower IA/SC ratio than normal weight boys, whereas this ratio was similar across the three BMI subgroups in girls. However, at this age and stage of maturation, the amount of IA adipose tissue is relatively small. Finally, waist circumference was shown to be a useful indicator of IA fat, and BMI provided a good estimate of subcutaneous fat.
Documentation centre