Anterior–Posterior Abdominal Diameter and Waist Circumference Have Comparable Predictive Ability for Visceral Fat Area

ABSTRACT Objective Waist circumference measurement is commonly used as a method for predicting the visceral fat area. However, waist circumference is difficult to measure, and there is a large margin of error between measurements. Visceral fat is adipose tissue that accumulates in the abdominal cavi...

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Main Authors: Jumpei Shikuma, Yoshiyuki Nagai, Mihono Otaki, Norihiro Shimizu, Yuki Wada, Junko Sasaki‐Shima, Hirotsugu Suwanai, Rokuro Ito, Takashi Miwa, Ryo Suzuki
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Wiley 2025-02-01
Series:Obesity Science & Practice
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Online Access:https://doi.org/10.1002/osp4.70047
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author Jumpei Shikuma
Yoshiyuki Nagai
Mihono Otaki
Norihiro Shimizu
Yuki Wada
Junko Sasaki‐Shima
Hirotsugu Suwanai
Rokuro Ito
Takashi Miwa
Ryo Suzuki
author_facet Jumpei Shikuma
Yoshiyuki Nagai
Mihono Otaki
Norihiro Shimizu
Yuki Wada
Junko Sasaki‐Shima
Hirotsugu Suwanai
Rokuro Ito
Takashi Miwa
Ryo Suzuki
author_sort Jumpei Shikuma
collection DOAJ
description ABSTRACT Objective Waist circumference measurement is commonly used as a method for predicting the visceral fat area. However, waist circumference is difficult to measure, and there is a large margin of error between measurements. Visceral fat is adipose tissue that accumulates in the abdominal cavity, and when it accumulates in excess, abdominal computed tomography reveals a prominent protrusion of the anterior–posterior diameter of the abdomen in a coronal section at the umbilicus level. Individuals with obesity often show forward abdominal protrusions. This study aimed to verify whether the anterior–posterior abdominal diameter can be used as a proxy for waist circumference to predict the visceral fat area. Methods A total of 231 patients with diabetes who were admitted to Tokyo Medical University Hospital and whose visceral fat area was measured using computed tomography were enrolled. Whether the waist circumference and anterior–posterior abdominal diameter were correlated with the visceral fat area was determined, and their ability to predict the visceral fat area was compared. Results The visceral fat area was significantly correlated with both waist circumference (r = 0.759, p < 0.001) and anterior–posterior abdominal diameter (r = 0.774, p < 0.001), and the areas under the receiver operating characteristic curves used to predict the visceral fat area were 0.923 (95% confidence interval: 0.878–0.967) and 0.939 (95% confidence interval: 0.905–0.974), respectively. Conclusions The anterior–posterior abdominal diameter can be used as an alternative to waist circumference for predicting the visceral fat area. This simple measurement method may serve as a very useful method in clinical practice by eliminating the variability of waist circumference measurements.
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spelling doaj-art-b7a5f04dbe864d90a7e4bac1bfd2c7d82025-08-20T02:58:36ZengWileyObesity Science & Practice2055-22382025-02-01111n/an/a10.1002/osp4.70047Anterior–Posterior Abdominal Diameter and Waist Circumference Have Comparable Predictive Ability for Visceral Fat AreaJumpei Shikuma0Yoshiyuki Nagai1Mihono Otaki2Norihiro Shimizu3Yuki Wada4Junko Sasaki‐Shima5Hirotsugu Suwanai6Rokuro Ito7Takashi Miwa8Ryo Suzuki9Department of Diabetes, Metabolism and Endocrinology Tokyo Medical University Shinjuku‐ku JapanDepartment of Diabetes, Metabolism and Endocrinology Tokyo Medical University Shinjuku‐ku JapanDepartment of Diabetes, Metabolism and Endocrinology Tokyo Medical University Shinjuku‐ku JapanDepartment of Diabetes, Metabolism and Endocrinology Tokyo Medical University Shinjuku‐ku JapanDepartment of Diabetes, Metabolism and Endocrinology Tokyo Medical University Shinjuku‐ku JapanDepartment of Diabetes, Metabolism and Endocrinology Tokyo Medical University Shinjuku‐ku JapanDepartment of Diabetes, Metabolism and Endocrinology Tokyo Medical University Shinjuku‐ku JapanDepartment of Diabetes, Metabolism and Endocrinology Tokyo Medical University Shinjuku‐ku JapanDepartment of Diabetes, Metabolism and Endocrinology Tokyo Medical University Shinjuku‐ku JapanDepartment of Diabetes, Metabolism and Endocrinology Tokyo Medical University Shinjuku‐ku JapanABSTRACT Objective Waist circumference measurement is commonly used as a method for predicting the visceral fat area. However, waist circumference is difficult to measure, and there is a large margin of error between measurements. Visceral fat is adipose tissue that accumulates in the abdominal cavity, and when it accumulates in excess, abdominal computed tomography reveals a prominent protrusion of the anterior–posterior diameter of the abdomen in a coronal section at the umbilicus level. Individuals with obesity often show forward abdominal protrusions. This study aimed to verify whether the anterior–posterior abdominal diameter can be used as a proxy for waist circumference to predict the visceral fat area. Methods A total of 231 patients with diabetes who were admitted to Tokyo Medical University Hospital and whose visceral fat area was measured using computed tomography were enrolled. Whether the waist circumference and anterior–posterior abdominal diameter were correlated with the visceral fat area was determined, and their ability to predict the visceral fat area was compared. Results The visceral fat area was significantly correlated with both waist circumference (r = 0.759, p < 0.001) and anterior–posterior abdominal diameter (r = 0.774, p < 0.001), and the areas under the receiver operating characteristic curves used to predict the visceral fat area were 0.923 (95% confidence interval: 0.878–0.967) and 0.939 (95% confidence interval: 0.905–0.974), respectively. Conclusions The anterior–posterior abdominal diameter can be used as an alternative to waist circumference for predicting the visceral fat area. This simple measurement method may serve as a very useful method in clinical practice by eliminating the variability of waist circumference measurements.https://doi.org/10.1002/osp4.70047anterior–posterior abdominal diametervisceral fat areawaist circumference
spellingShingle Jumpei Shikuma
Yoshiyuki Nagai
Mihono Otaki
Norihiro Shimizu
Yuki Wada
Junko Sasaki‐Shima
Hirotsugu Suwanai
Rokuro Ito
Takashi Miwa
Ryo Suzuki
Anterior–Posterior Abdominal Diameter and Waist Circumference Have Comparable Predictive Ability for Visceral Fat Area
Obesity Science & Practice
anterior–posterior abdominal diameter
visceral fat area
waist circumference
title Anterior–Posterior Abdominal Diameter and Waist Circumference Have Comparable Predictive Ability for Visceral Fat Area
title_full Anterior–Posterior Abdominal Diameter and Waist Circumference Have Comparable Predictive Ability for Visceral Fat Area
title_fullStr Anterior–Posterior Abdominal Diameter and Waist Circumference Have Comparable Predictive Ability for Visceral Fat Area
title_full_unstemmed Anterior–Posterior Abdominal Diameter and Waist Circumference Have Comparable Predictive Ability for Visceral Fat Area
title_short Anterior–Posterior Abdominal Diameter and Waist Circumference Have Comparable Predictive Ability for Visceral Fat Area
title_sort anterior posterior abdominal diameter and waist circumference have comparable predictive ability for visceral fat area
topic anterior–posterior abdominal diameter
visceral fat area
waist circumference
url https://doi.org/10.1002/osp4.70047
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