Female fat distribution--a photographic and cellularity study.

A new method of classifying women according to their pattern of fat distribution is discribed. Standard linear-discriminant analysis of data from somatotype photography shows that the most important measurements are those of thigh and waist diameters and a simple ratio of these is proposed as a fat distribution (FD) score, ie one which distinguishes an android or central-type fat distribution from a gynoid or peripheral-type fat distribution: FD score = 26 log10 (formula: see text) The score is shown to correlate positively with age, actual weight and relative weight in 90 subjects, showing that older, fatter women are more likely to have a central-type of fat distribution. The score is also significantly positively correlated with the size of fat cells in the arm and waist measured in 46 subjects, showing that women with central-type fat distribution have larger fat cells in the upper parts of their bodies compared with women with peripheral-type fat distribution. Analysis of FD score before and after weight loss showed no significant correlation between the change in FD score and the degree of weight loss. This suggests that the pattern of female fat distribution as defined by the FD score is relatively constant.