Practical and Technical Advantages of DXA Visceral Fat Assessment Compared with Computed Tomography
Abstract: Over the last decade obesity has exploded to epidemic proportions in America. Obesity-related health risks include coronary heart disease, type 2 diabetes, stroke, dyslipidemia,
and certain types of cancers. Traditional anthropomorphic measures of obesity like BMI and waist circumference quantify excess weight or size, not excess fat, and misclassify patients by failing to assess pathogenic visceral fat depots. DXA visceral fat measurements may be superior to traditional measures for evaluating obesity-related disease risk. The available literature supports visceral fat thresholds of 100 cm2 for increased risk and 160 cm2 for high risk and suggests this classification scheme may identify patients most likely to benefit from preventive interventions.
Download