Men lose more visceral and less subcutaneous adipose tissue mass than women following lifestyle intervention
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The association between gender, body fat distribution, and weight reduction capacity needs further characterization. The study aimed to investigate the influence of gender on the associations between reductions in body weight (BW) and waist circumference (WC) with reductions in total (TAT), subcutaneous (SAT) and visceral adipose tissue (VAT) in response to lifestyle-based interventions. To this end, 81 men and 72 women participating to various diet- and/or exercise-based interventions underwent magnetic resonance imaging to assess changes in TAT, SAT, and VAT. For a given reduction in BW or WC, men had significantly greater reductions in VAT, but smaller reductions in total and lower body SAT than women. These differences progressively increased in magnitude with increasing BW or WC reduction. Consequently, there was no sex difference in TAT reduction for a given BW or WC reduction, whereas reductions in BW or WC were both independent predictors of VAT loss. In conclusion, men appear to lose more VAT and less SAT than women for a given reduction in BW or WC, but TAT loss observed for a given reduction in BW or WC does not differ between men and women.
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