Abdominal Fat and Cardiovascular Risk
Abdominal circumference is a widely used parameter to assess a person's cardiovascular risk. The prevalent distribution of subcutaneous fat in the abdominal area is in fact correlated to the increase in visceral fat and is proportional to its external circumference.
Lipid accumulation in the visceral area, ie in the internal part of the abdomen, represents an independent risk factor for cardiovascular diseases, diabetes and mortality in general. In other words, having the same body fat, having the characteristic belly instead of a homogeneous distribution of the adipose surplus results in a shorter life expectancy.
The simplest method to evaluate the percentage of visceral fat is to go and measure the circumference at the level of the abdomen.
What it is and how it is measured
By definition, the abdominal circumference represents:
the minimum circumference between the rib cage and the navel, with the subject standing and with the abdominal muscles relaxed.
The abdominal circumference is evaluated with a common metric tape, not elastic, positioned at the waist level, according to a horizontal plane parallel to the floor.
The waist represents the narrowest part of the abdomen and is normally located just above the upper portion of the lateral border of the iliac crest. If this area is not clearly evident, the measurement is taken at the level of the navel.
It is very important to keep the tape horizontal and avoid over-tightening it or keeping it too loose; the abdomen must also be stripped of clothing.
It is an indirect method, but practical, economical and with a fair amount of reliability. Alternatively, much more accurate data are obtained by magnetic resonance, CT or ultrasound evaluation, even if these methods are not applicable on a large scale.
Interpretation of Results
The abdominal circumference, measured according to the procedure just described, takes on a different meaning in relation to the age and sex of the patient. In particular, for an adult individual:
- values greater than 94 cm in men and 80 cm in women indicate visceral obesity and are associated with a "moderate risk"
- Values greater than 102 cm in men and 88 cm in women are associated with an "accentuated risk"
MAN
WOMAN
Risk
cm
cm
Very high
> 120
> 110
High
100 - 120
90 - 109
Bass
80 - 99
70 - 89
Very low
<80
< 70
Source: ACSM ACSM guidelines for exercise testing and prescription, 7th ed. Lippincott, Williams, and Wilkins, 61
These reference parameters are not valid for children and in general for subjects less than 152 cm in height; the test is not very indicative even for bodybuilders (high muscle mass in the abdomen) and, if measured alone without associating it with other parameters, it is not significantly correlated with the mortality risk of women with gynoid obesity (fat mass concentrated in the also, in the buttocks, thighs and abdomen below the navel).
The monitoring of the abdominal circumference over time is very important, as its increase, even with the same weight, reflects a growth in abdominal fat and, consequently, the risk of mortality in general.
Abdominal circumference of the fetus
During pregnancy, the abdominal circumference of the fetus is monitored - through morphological ultrasound and together with other measurements (such as head circumference) - to assess the degree of growth.
Insufficient development could indicate an "infection or certain pathologies;" excess weight (macrosomia) could instead originate from maternal diabetes.
