RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN HYDRATION OF LEAN BODY-MASS AND VISCERAL ADIPOSE-TISSUE - A CLINICAL-STUDY OF WOMEN

OBJECT: To study the relationship between hydration of lean body mass and adipose tissue location. DESIGN: Cross-sectional, clinical study o f visceral adipose tissue area and total body water as a percentage of lean body mass. PATIENTS: Seventy-two adult, overweight, women, 52 pr e- and 20 post-menopausal (age: 18-72 years, body mass index: 26-52). MEASUREMENTS: Total body water was obtained by electrical impedance me asurement; visceral adipose tissue and lean body mass were obtained by computed tomography measurement of visceral adipose tissue area at th e level of the 4th-5th lumbar vertebra. RESULTS: Visceral adipose tiss ue was found, by multiple regression analysis, to be the only predicto r of the hydration of the lean body mass. The other independent variab les: age, menopausal status, body mass index. glucose and insulin both fasting and after glucose load were not able to significantly improve the predictive power. CONCLUSION: Results of this study confirm the e xistence of a relationship between visceral adipose tissue content and hydration of the lean body mass.