Examination of the Validity of the Abdominal Circumference Measurement Method Used for Visceral Fat Evaluation Using Computed Tomography

Purpose: The effects of obesity, including metabolic syndrome, on health are of concern around the world. In Japan, if the abdominal circumference of a man is 85 cm or more and the abdominal circumference of a woman is 90 cm or more, the visceral fat area is equivalent to 100 cm2 or more. The evaluation of visceral fat by abdominal circumference is based on the influence of tissues other than visceral fat. The purposes of this study were to compare the abundance of visceral fat area and subcutaneous fat area and to examine the validity of estimating the visceral fat area by the abdominal circumference measurement method. Methods: We obtained data on visceral fat area, subcutaneous fat area, and abdominal circumference of 822 subjects. Next, we investigated the correlation between the abdominal circumference and the visceral fat area, the abdominal circumference and the subcutaneous fat area, and the visceral fat area and the subcutaneous fat area of the subjects. Result: The abdominal circumference and visceral fat area were highly correlated, but the sum of visceral fat area and subcutaneous fat area was more highly correlated. There was a low correlation between the visceral fat area and the subcutaneous fat area. When the abdominal circumference exceeded the standard value, there was no correlation between the visceral fat area and the subcutaneous fat area. We concluded that there is a correlation between abdominal circumference and BMI and visceral fat area, but when these are used for estimation of visceral fat area, they are not accurate due to many errors.