Showing papers by "Patty S. Freedson published in 1980"

Contribution of breast volume and weight to body fat distribution in females

Abstract: Breast volume and body composition were measured in 45 adult females to determine the contribution of breast weight and breast volume to total body fat. Plaster casts were filled with sand of known density to obtain breast volume. Breast weight was computed as breast volume times its density. The correlation between total breast volume and percent body fat was r = .40. Breast weight (x = 484 grams) accounted for 3.5 percent of the total weight of body fat, and at most, 12 percent of the estimated quantities of sex-specific fat. A theoretical model is proposed for the distribution of body fat in the female which subdivides total body fat into three components: reserve storage fat, essential fat, and expend- able storage fat. For the purposes of in vitro and in vivo analy- sis and evaluation, the human body is some- times viewed comprising two major compo- nents, lean body mass and fat weight, each with its own density. If the whole body density (D,) is known (consisting of two intermixed but known densities), it is possible to calculate the relative and absolute fat and lean components, re- spectively (Brozek et al., '63). Behnke ('69) has suggested that the body's total quantity of fat can be partitioned into two compartments. One major subdivision is termed storage fat, repre- sentative of nutritional status located in sub- cutaneous depots and comprised of lipid tri- glyceride. For males and females storage fat averages about 8 to 10 percent of total body weight. The second compartment, essential fat, contributes 2 to 4 percent of body weight in the male and approximately 14 percent in the female. Essential fat is located in bone marrow, the deep fat stores, intramuscularly, and throughout the central nervous system. Essen- tial fat in the female also includes sex-specific fat, believed located in mammary and other tissues (Behnke and Wilmore, '74). The quan- tity of sex-specific fat is thought to range from 8 to 12 percent, although there are no direct quantitative estimates.

Body composition of synchronized swimmers.

Abstract: The body composition of 15 synchronized swimmers and 15 non-athletic female controls were compared. Body fat and lean body weight were calculated from body density measurements. Swimmers were ranked according to skill level and ability in an attempt to predict success in synchronized swimming from percent body fat or lean body weight. A student t-test revealed no statistically significant differences between groups for height, weight, percent body fat or lean body weight. Non-significant rank order correlations between ability ranking and percent fat (r = -.31) and lean body weight (r = -.18) point to the inability to predict success in synchronized swimming from these variables. These data were compared with female athletes of other sports.