Clinical utility of anthropometric indices and metabolic parameters as markers of the functional state of adipose tissue

Abstract

The study of body composition is a topic of interest in health professionals, since it can be carried out both for research purposes, in the clinic and for carrying out the analysis of the functional conditions of a certain subject or group of subjects. Although anthropometric and body composition measurements are important, information on the functional state of metabolic tissues such as adipose and muscle is even more relevant, which can be obtained from the different body composition and biochemical indices. The body mass index (BMI) was developed to classify both obesity and malnutrition and is widely used as an expression of adiposity in population studies, however, it does not have the ability to differentiate fat mass (FM) from fat-free mass. (FFM), particularly at the individual level. Therefore, the objective of this work is to identify the use of indirect parameters of body composition such as the waist-height index, fat mass index and fat-free mass index for their usefulness in the evaluation of the accumulation and distribution of body weight adipose tissue associated with alterations in the metabolism of glucose and lipids, to know its use in the risk of developing chronic diseases.