Android (centralized) obesity and somatotypes in men: association with mesomorphy

The relationship between body fat distribution patterns and somatotype among 824 men was sought from Sheldon, Dupertuis and MacDermott's Atlas of Men (1954). The men were classified photoscopically into obese, overweight and normal weight classes and then into android (central), intermediate and gynoid (generalized) classes of body fat patterning independently and blindly by two observers. Android fat men were found by both observers to be older and more often classed as obese than gynoid fat men. The android obese were significantly more mesomorphic and less endomorphic than the gynoid obese (P less than 0.01). Results suggest that android obesity involves more than an upper body distribution of subcutaneous fat: it is a deep body obesity involving excess lean body mass as well.