Usefulness of lumbar AP spine DXA for measuring the percentage of perilumbar regional fat and predicting visceral fat in obese postmenopausal women

We investigated whether measurement of the perilumbar regional fat amount by lumbar spine DXA is as good a predictor of visceral fat in obese postmenopausal women. Twenty-two obese (BMI 30–383 kg/m2) and 18 nonobese (BMI 20.1-24.7 kg/m2) postmenopausal women with similar age were recruited. Lumbar AP spine DXA for measuring the percentage of perilumbar regional fat and CT scanning for estimation of the abdominal visceral fat areas were performed. In obese subjects, visceral fat areas as measured by CT were significantly correlated with BMI, waist circumference, WHR, and DXA-measured perilumbar regional fat percentage. In nonobese subjects, visceral fat areas measured with CT were correlated with BMI, waist circumference, WHR, and DXA-measured perilumbar regional fat percentage. The results of multiple regression analysis were that the perilumbar regional fat percent by DXA was the best predictor of visceral fat amount in obese postmenopausal women (R2 = 0.750) and BMI predicted visceral fat amount in nonobese postmenopausal women (R2 = 0.343). This study suggests that lumbar regional fat percentage, as measured by DXA, is a better predictor of abdominal visceral fat amount than waist circumference, WHR, or BMI in obese postmenopausal women.