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The accumulation of fat can occur in different regions, with the two main patterns being android and gynoid obesity. Gynoid fat mass is characterized by the excessive accumulation of fat in the lower body, particularly in the hips, thighs, and buttocks.

This pattern is more commonly observed in females. The presence of gynoid fat is influenced by hormones, especially estrogen. Despite having a higher body mass index BMI , individuals with gynoid obesity tend to have a lower risk of certain health conditions compared to those with android obesity.

Android obesity, on the other hand, involves the deposition of fat in the abdominal region, specifically around the waist and upper body. This pattern is more prevalent in males.

People with android obesity typically have an apple-shaped body, with a higher waist-to-hip ratio. Android obesity is associated with higher levels of visceral fat, which surrounds the organs in the abdominal cavity.

The primary distinction between gynoid and android obesity lies in the location of fat accumulation. Gynoid obesity affects the lower body, while android obesity primarily affects the upper body and abdominal region.

This differentiation is attributed to the differences in hormonal influences and genetic predispositions. Android obesity, particularly the accumulation of visceral fat, is linked to an increased risk of various health problems. High levels of visceral fat are associated with insulin resistance, type 2 diabetes, dyslipidemia, and cardiovascular diseases such as high blood pressure and coronary artery disease.

Furthermore, android obesity is closely linked to metabolic syndrome, a cluster of conditions that raise the risk of heart disease and stroke. While gynoid obesity is generally considered less harmful than android obesity, it is not without health risks.

Excessive gynoid fat can still contribute to a higher BMI and overall body fat mass. However, gynoid fat is associated with a lower risk of cardiovascular disease compared to visceral fat. Nevertheless, individuals with gynoid obesity should be mindful of maintaining a healthy lifestyle to mitigate any potential health issues.

Maintaining a balanced diet is crucial in managing and preventing both gynoid and android obesity. Focus on consuming nutrient-dense foods while controlling portion sizes. Incorporate plenty of fruits, vegetables, whole grains, lean proteins, and healthy fats into your meals.

Avoid processed foods, sugary beverages, and excessive calorie intake. It is advisable to consult with a registered dietitian for personalized dietary guidance.

Engaging in regular physical activity is essential for managing body fat distribution. Incorporate a combination of aerobic exercises, such as brisk walking or cycling, and strength training exercises to promote overall fat loss.

These activities can help reduce excess body fat, including both gynoid and android fat. Aim for at least minutes of moderate-intensity aerobic activity per week, along with muscle-strengthening activities on two or more days.

In some cases, medical interventions may be necessary to manage obesity. Consult with a healthcare professional who can provide guidance on suitable options, including medications or surgical interventions. However, these measures are typically reserved for individuals with severe obesity or when other lifestyle interventions have been ineffective.

DEXA stands for Dual-Energy X-ray Absorptiometry, a specialized imaging technique used to measure bone density and body composition. Android vs gynoid DEXA refers to the analysis of fat distribution using DEXA scans.

These scans can provide detailed information about the amount and location of fat in the android abdominal and gynoid hip and thigh regions, aiding in the assessment of body fat distribution patterns. Gynoid obesity is more commonly observed in females.

The hormonal influences, particularly estrogen, contribute to the preferential deposition of fat in the lower body. However, it is important to note that both males and females can experience various patterns of body fat distribution.

The arm region Figure 1 is comprised of the arm and shoulder area formed by placing a line from the crease of the axilla and through the glenohumeral joint.

The trunk region includes the neck, chest, abdominal and pelvic areas. Its upper perimeter is the inferior edge of the chin and the lower borders intersect the middle of the femoral necks without touching the brim of the pelvis. The leg region includes all of the area below the lines that form the lower borders of the trunk.

The android region is the area between the ribs and the pelvis, and is totally enclosed by the trunk region. The lower demarcation is at the top of the pelvis. The gynoid region includes the hips and upper thighs, and overlaps both the leg and trunk regions. The upper demarcation is below the top of the iliac crest at a distance of 1.

The total height of the gynoid region is two times the height of the android region. More detail concerning the analysis of regional body composition has been described in previous papers. These masses, determined by DXA, were specific to each region. A restricted maximum-likelihood linear mixed model LMM regression analysis with a compound symmetric heterogeneous variance—covariance matrix structure was performed to determine whether ethnicities differed in fat mass distribution and in the percentage of fat in arm, leg, trunk, android and gynoid regions.

Analysis was conducted with the PROC MIXED procedure SAS 9. This statistical analysis is less challenged by muticollinearity between highly related body composition variables. The independent variables were ethnicity and region. Ethnicity was dummy coded with NHW as the reference group. Region was also dummy coded with android as the reference group.

Nonsignificant interactions were then eliminated to produce a final LMM model. Regression coefficients were tested using a t -value generated for each comparison. Reliability measures for regional body composition measures were obtained from a separate sample of men. Measures collected from eight subjects scanned three times in a single day exhibited coefficient of variation values of 0.

These are better than values observed for similar investigations, which report coefficient of variation values ranging from 1. Descriptive statistics for each ethnicity are contained in Table 1. All terms in the LMM model were significant.

Because these findings may be confounded by indicators of total body adiposity, BMI and total fat mass were additionally added to the model as covariates to determine whether the associations were attenuated. Table 2 shows the region by ethnicity comparisons with both observed data and data adjusted for ethnicity.

See Figure 2. No difference between android and gynoid for NHW. The central purpose of this study was to determine whether differences exist among ethnic and racial groups of young men in central that is, android and trunk and peripheral that is, arm, leg and gynoid regional fat mass.

As with a previous study in women, these data reveal that fat in each of these regions varies by ethnicity. Our hypotheses were largely verified. The present data support findings that assert that HI have a higher level of whole body adiposity, lower fat-free mass and bone mineral content compared with NHW, even when controlling for numerous factors.

For instance, differences between ethnicities exist for bone mineral content, limb length, muscle density and many other factors. Comparisons between these groups are most prevalent in the literature, with numerous studies finding ethnic differences. Additional studies have concluded that AA men have lower measures of abdominal visceral fat than NHW and HI men, even when controlling for total adipose tissue.

The current study found that AA and NHW men were higher in fat-free mass than AS and HI ethnicities, but did not differ from each other.

However, a different pattern of results is evident for women. When specifically examining appendicular muscle and skeletal mass from DXA , AA women are higher than NHW women. Furthermore, Stults-Kolehmainen et al. Making direct comparisons between the extant literature and our results, however, is hampered by two sets of issues.

First, we did not adjust data for covariates of central fat mass, as is commonly reported. And second, other ethnic comparisons for body composition have typically employed skinfolds or measures of central adiposity determined from MRI or computed tomography.

An important question of interest regarding our data, then, is whether our measurements of android fat as determined by DXA are a proxy for more-established measures of visceral fat.

Therefore, our findings show that AS and HI men distribute fat differently than AA and NHW; the key difference being that AS and HI tend to store more fat in the lower torso relative to the hips and upper thighs. Body distribution of fat is important because, as mentioned above, fat deposited more centrally—and particularly visceral or intra-abdominal fat—is related to a number of chronic health conditions, such as insulin resistance and cardiovascular disease.

However, some data suggest that abdominal fat has an ethnic-dependent association with these chronic conditions. Limitations to the current study exist. First, despite the fact that our sample was ethnically representative from the larger university population, it is possible that it was not representative for obesity status or adiposity distribution.

Participants were self selected and only a study design including a random sample would resolve this issue. It should also be noted that our sample was composed of young men, whereas many studies have utilized a much larger age range.

Another problem centers on the self report of ethnicity and race, and the lack of precise criteria to classify individuals into ethnic groupings. We also did not assess behavioral factors, such as chronic physical activity status, which is a factor some studies have controlled.

SES and cultural factors are also likely relevant 32 as are the experience of psychological stress and poor coping behaviors, which are related to central fat distribution. Consequently, the anatomical specification of the android region varies throughout the literature, and direct comparisons with other studies are not always possible.

Despite the aforementioned limitations, this investigation, alongside a paired study in women, 7 represents a strong methodological advance in the literature on ethnic differences in body composition. To our knowledge, this is the first study in men to utilize DXA technology to complete analyses of fat mass for five regions.

Finally, this is also one of few studies to compare four major ethnic groups. Specifically, investigations incorporating both AA and AS groups have been uncommon. Indeed, most studies have limited ethnicity comparisons, 27 , 28 a subject selection biased by the use of convenience groups, a focus on one obesity status for example, overweight individuals , 26 or examine only non-exercisers.

This stands in contrast to a recent study which found that among women, the AA ethnicity has the greatest total and central adiposity. Interestingly, there were no differences observed between AA and NHW men, which contrast many previous findings.

Future research needs to determine whether ethnic differences in central body fat modulate risk for suboptimal health outcomes. If such is the case, ethnic-specific cutoffs should be developed to improve risk assessment and intervention. Shen W, Punyanitya M, Chen J, Gallagher D, Albu J, Pi-Sunyer X et al.

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Download references. We thank the NHANES Project for providing the data free of charge and all NHANES Project staff and anonymous participants. This work is supported by the the National Natural Science Foundation of China , and ; Lanzhou Science and Technology Plan Program 20JR5RA ; Cuiying Scientific and Technological Innovation Program of Lanzhou University Second Hospital CYZD02, CYMS-A Department of Orthopaedics, Gansu Key Laboratory of Orthopaedics, Lanzhou University Second Hospital, No.

Second Clinical Medical School, Lanzhou University, No. Orthopaedic Clinical Medical Research Center, No. Technology Center for Intelligent Orthopedic Industry, No.

You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar. All authors read and approved the final manuscript. Ming Ma: Study conception, Study design, Data extraction, Data analysis, Manuscript draft.

Xiaolong Liu and Gengxin Jia: Prepared the tables and figures. Bin Geng: Manuscript Review, Process Supervision.

Yayi Xia: Manuscript Review, Process Supervision, Draft Revision. Ming Ma, Xiaolong Liu, and Gengxin Jia contributed equally to this work. Correspondence to Yayi Xia. The participants provided their written informed consent to participate in this study.

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Reprints and permissions. Ma, M. et al. The association between body fat distribution and bone mineral density: evidence from the US population. BMC Endocr Disord 22 , Download citation. Received : 04 May Accepted : 27 June Published : 04 July Anyone you share the following link with will be able to read this content:.

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Skip to main content. Search all BMC articles Search. Download PDF. Abstract Objective To investigate the association between different body fat distribution and different sites of BMD in male and female populations.

Methods Use the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey NHANES datasets to select participants. Results Overall, participants were included in this study.

Conclusion Body fat in different regions was positively associated with BMD in different sites, and this association persisted in subgroup analyses across age and race in different gender.

Introduction Obesity was one of the serious health concerns affecting the health of the global population [ 1 ], especially in the US [ 2 ]. Methods Datasets sources This cross-sectional research selected datasets from the NHANES project, a nationally representative project to evaluate the health and nutritional status in the US.

Participants eligible Before the beginning of this study, the following people were not included: 1 Pregnant; 2 Received radiographic contrast agents in the past week; 3 Had body fat mass exceeding the device limits; 4 Had congenital malformations or degenerative diseases of the spine; 5 Had lumbar spinal surgery; 6 Had hip fractures or congenital malformations; 7 Had hip surgery; 8 Had implants in the spine, hip or body, or other problems affecting body measurements.

The participants selecting flow chart. Full size image. Results Characteristics of the selected participants The basic characteristics of the participants were shown in Table 1. Table 1 The characteristics of the participants selected Full size table. Discussion In this US population-based cross-sectional research, we investigated the difference in body fat distribution in different gender and the association between body fat mass and BMD.

Availability of data and materials The datasets used and analyzed during the current study are available from the corresponding author on reasonable request. Abbreviations NHANES: National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey BMD: Bone mineral density BMI: Body mass index DXA: Dual-energy X-ray CI: Confidence Intervals SD: Standard Deviations.

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Acknowledgments We thank the NHANES Project for providing the data free of charge and all NHANES Project staff and anonymous participants. Funding This work is supported by the the National Natural Science Foundation of China , and ; Lanzhou Science and Technology Plan Program 20JR5RA ; Cuiying Scientific and Technological Innovation Program of Lanzhou University Second Hospital CYZD02, CYMS-A Author information Authors and Affiliations Department of Orthopaedics, Gansu Key Laboratory of Orthopaedics, Lanzhou University Second Hospital, No.

View author publications. htm Consent for publication Not applicable. Competing interests The authors declare no conflict of interest.

Supplementary Information. Additional file 1. Additional file 2. Additional file 3.

Pop Quiz: Which gender do you think carries their weight in this area, and experiences, generally, more of these more internal health signs? This fat accumulates around the hips and buttocks. Individuals who hold their excess fat in this region tend to suffer from mechanical problems such as hip, knee and other joint issues, versus metabolic or hormonal issues.

In addition, this distribution of fat actually has a negative risk factor for heart and metabolic disease! Pop Quiz: Which gender do you think hold their weight in the bottom half of their body, and what sorts of issues do these people generally run into in regards to movement? The Difference Between Android and Gynoid Obesity.

Are you an Apple, a Pear, or neither? Android Vs. Gynoid: This fat accumulates around the hips and buttocks. Next week we will go over how to determine what type of shape we have of these two, using an easy at home measuring method! References: Dexafit, Inc.

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Download references. We thank the NHANES Project for providing the data free of charge and all NHANES Project staff and anonymous participants.

This work is supported by the the National Natural Science Foundation of China , and ; Lanzhou Science and Technology Plan Program 20JR5RA ; Cuiying Scientific and Technological Innovation Program of Lanzhou University Second Hospital CYZD02, CYMS-A Department of Orthopaedics, Gansu Key Laboratory of Orthopaedics, Lanzhou University Second Hospital, No.

Second Clinical Medical School, Lanzhou University, No. Orthopaedic Clinical Medical Research Center, No. Technology Center for Intelligent Orthopedic Industry, No. You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar. All authors read and approved the final manuscript.

Ming Ma: Study conception, Study design, Data extraction, Data analysis, Manuscript draft. Xiaolong Liu and Gengxin Jia: Prepared the tables and figures. Bin Geng: Manuscript Review, Process Supervision.

Yayi Xia: Manuscript Review, Process Supervision, Draft Revision. Ming Ma, Xiaolong Liu, and Gengxin Jia contributed equally to this work. Correspondence to Yayi Xia.

The participants provided their written informed consent to participate in this study. Furthermore, all methods were performed following relevant guidelines and regulations. Springer Nature remains neutral with regard to jurisdictional claims in published maps and institutional affiliations.

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If material is not included in the article's Creative Commons licence and your intended use is not permitted by statutory regulation or exceeds the permitted use, you will need to obtain permission directly from the copyright holder. Reprints and permissions. Ma, M. et al. The association between body fat distribution and bone mineral density: evidence from the US population.

BMC Endocr Disord 22 , Download citation. Received : 04 May Accepted : 27 June Published : 04 July Anyone you share the following link with will be able to read this content:.

Sorry, a shareable link is not currently available for this article. Provided by the Springer Nature SharedIt content-sharing initiative. Skip to main content. Search all BMC articles Search. Download PDF. Abstract Objective To investigate the association between different body fat distribution and different sites of BMD in male and female populations.

Methods Use the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey NHANES datasets to select participants. Results Overall, participants were included in this study. Conclusion Body fat in different regions was positively associated with BMD in different sites, and this association persisted in subgroup analyses across age and race in different gender.

Introduction Obesity was one of the serious health concerns affecting the health of the global population [ 1 ], especially in the US [ 2 ]. Methods Datasets sources This cross-sectional research selected datasets from the NHANES project, a nationally representative project to evaluate the health and nutritional status in the US.

Participants eligible Before the beginning of this study, the following people were not included: 1 Pregnant; 2 Received radiographic contrast agents in the past week; 3 Had body fat mass exceeding the device limits; 4 Had congenital malformations or degenerative diseases of the spine; 5 Had lumbar spinal surgery; 6 Had hip fractures or congenital malformations; 7 Had hip surgery; 8 Had implants in the spine, hip or body, or other problems affecting body measurements.

The participants selecting flow chart. Full size image. Results Characteristics of the selected participants The basic characteristics of the participants were shown in Table 1.

Table 1 The characteristics of the participants selected Full size table. Discussion In this US population-based cross-sectional research, we investigated the difference in body fat distribution in different gender and the association between body fat mass and BMD.

Availability of data and materials The datasets used and analyzed during the current study are available from the corresponding author on reasonable request. Abbreviations NHANES: National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey BMD: Bone mineral density BMI: Body mass index DXA: Dual-energy X-ray CI: Confidence Intervals SD: Standard Deviations.

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