A widespread attention has been focused on the close association between diabetes mellitus and obesity. Although obesity is frequently expressed as the increased weight-height ratio, a more accurate definition of obesity is the abnormal increase of the total body fat. The measurement of the subcutaneous fat depot (skinfolds thickness) is therefore used for the purpose of indicating the state of body fat. Since the normal range of the skinfolds thickness among the aged subjects has scarcely been known, our study was first intended to establish the normal range of the skinfolds thickness of the “normal” aged and to see the correlations between these values and their body builds. Secondly the distribution of skinfolds thickness was compared between normal and diabetic subjects.
[Mlaterials]
Out of the apparently healthy persons with normal daily activity over the age ot sixty years, 41 males and 94 females were selected after conducting the complete medical examination. The diabetic subjects consisted of 39 males and 28 females selected from the ambulant patients at the outpatient clinic of the Department of Geriatrics, University of Tokyo Hospital and Eiju Hospital Clinic.
[Method]
The measurement of the skinfolds thickness was done by the skinfold caliper of the Eiken-type at the commonly measured points of the body-the upper arm (midway on the posterior line), below the scapula, the abdomen (beside the navel) and above the iliac crest (in the midaxillary line).
[Results]
1) After the logarithmic conversion of the skewed distributions, the correlation between the values of skinfolds of the abdomen and the mean values of the skinfolds of the upper arm and below the scapula were figured with 5% critical ellipse. According to the result, the values of the upper arm and below the scapula were relatively well held even if in the persons with thinner skinfolds.
2) The values of the skinfolds of the diabetics were dotted upon this ellipse. Especially in the male diabetics, the values of the skinfolds were generally large and remarkably deviated.
3) Of the “normal” aged, the regression lines of the various points of the body on the somatic index (Ponderal Index; height cm/3 (aweight kg) were calculated with 95% confidence interval.
4) When the values of the skinfolds of the diabetics were plotted with the regression line, most of them were situated above this line and some of them beyond the 95% standard error range. This finding seems to indicate that the diabetics, even if the same body build as the non-diabetics, have more subcutaneous fat depot than the “normal” ones.
5) There appeared to be no relationship between the abnormal values of the diabetic and the findings of the blood glucose level at the first visit or the time of measurement, the duration, serum cholesterol and electrocardiogram. Further studies are being conducted on these points.
