Secular and longitudinal trends in body composition: The Tromsø Study, 2001 to 2016

• Published in: Obesity (Silver Spring, Md.) Md.), 2021-11, Vol.29 (11), p.1939-1949
• Main Authors: Lundblad, Marie Wasmuth, Johansson, Jonas, Jacobsen, Bjarne K., Grimsgaard, Sameline, Andersen, Lene Frost, Wilsgaard, Tom, Hopstock, Laila A.
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Abdomen; Absorptiometry, Photon; Adipose Tissue - metabolism; Adult; Age groups; Aged; Aged, 80 and over; Body Composition; Body fat; Body Mass Index; Epidemiologi medisinsk og odontologisk statistikk: 803; Epidemiology medical and dental statistics: 803; Female; Health sciences: 800; Helsefag: 800; Humans; Intra-Abdominal Fat; Magnetic resonance imaging; Male; Medical disciplines: 700; Medisinske Fag: 700; Middle Aged; Obesity; Obesity - epidemiology; Obesity - metabolism; Overweight; Population; Radiation; Trends; VDP; Womens health
• ISSN: 1930-7381; 1930-739X; 1930-739X
• DOI: 10.1002/oby.23267

Objective Overweight, defined as excessive fat mass, is a long‐standing worldwide public health challenge. Traditional anthropometric measures used to identify overweight and obesity do not assess body composition. The aim of this study was to examine population trends in general and abdominal fat mass during the past two decades. Methods This study included participants from one or more consecutive surveys of the population‐based Tromsø Study, including Tromsø 5 (conducted in 2001, n = 1,662, age 40‐84 years), Tromsø 6 (2007‐2008, n = 901, age 40‐88 years), and Tromsø 7 (2015‐2016, n = 3,670, age 40‐87 years), with total body dual‐energy x‐ray absorptiometry scans. Trends in total fat and visceral adipose tissue (VAT) were analyzed by generalized estimation equation models in strata of sex and age groups. Results Total fat and VAT mass increased during 2001 to 2016, with a larger increase during 2007 to 2016 than from 2001 to 2007 and among the youngest age group (40‐49 years), particularly in women. Women had higher total fat mass than men, whereas men had higher VAT mass than women. Conclusions General and abdominal dual‐energy x‐ray absorptiometry‐derived fat mass increased during the past two decades in this general population. Of particular concern is the more pronounced increase in the past decade and in the younger age groups.