The Relationship Between Human Body Weight, Subcutaneous Fat, Heart Weight, and Epicardial Fat

Document Type

Article

Authors

Henry C. Womack, Ball State University, Muncie, Indiana

Abstract

Fat deposits were studied in human cadavers to determine what relationships exist between superficial and deep fat and the extent to which fat in these deposits is related to total body weight (TBW) and total heart weight (THW). Subcutaneous fat thickness was measured in three incisions at triceps, suprailiac, and calf sites. Correlation coefficients showed that while TBW was significantly correlated with THW only in males, epicardial fat weight was correlated with TBW and THW in both sexes. Epicardial fat was significantly correlated with calf fat in both sexes, with suprailiac fat in males, but with triceps fat in neither sex. TBW was significantly correlated with both triceps and suprailiac fat, but not with calf fat. THW correlated significantly with triceps fat in both sexes, and with suprailiac and calf fat only in males.

Recommended Citation

Womack, Henry C. (1983) "The Relationship Between Human Body Weight, Subcutaneous Fat, Heart Weight, and Epicardial Fat," Human Biology: Vol. 55: Iss. 3, Article 11.
Available at: https://digitalcommons.wayne.edu/humbiol/vol55/iss3/11