The Concept of CMR

Key points

There is a definite gender difference in adipose tissue distribution:

• Men accumulate adipose tissue in the intra-abdominal cavity (apple pattern).
• Women accumulate adipose tissue in the gluteal/femoral depots (pear pattern).
• Intra-abdominal adipose tissue accumulation—the adipose tissue distribution pattern generally found in men—predicts greater obesity-related health risks.
• Pre-menopausal women have less intra-abdominal adipose tissue and a more favourable metabolic risk profile than men with similar total body fat. This protection against intra-abdominal (visceral) fat accumulation is lost when women enter menopause.