TOFI – Thin On The Outside, Fat On The Inside?

For a long period of time, scientists and doctors assessed fat cells as passive energy reservoirs. This seems to mainly be the case with the hypodermic fat that lies directly beneath our skin. On the other hand, the visceral fat cells which can be found in our stomach area, are most likely to have a negative effect on our health. Studies have shown that these cells distribute a group of second messengers, known as the adipokine, which can reach and influence a large amount of bodily functions and are suspected to evoke infectious processes.

Therefore, how ill someone with weight issues is, cannot be determined solely through the absolute amount of fat in their body, but through its distribution. Fat cells mainly situated around the hips and stomach, are referred to as abdominal adiposity. High blood pressure and a disturbed fat and carbohydrate metabolism, plus this abdominal adiposity count as the four symptoms of the metabolic syndrome. These four symptoms are often referred to as the deadly quartet, as they are responsible for increasing the risk of cardiovascular diseases. Sumo Wrestlers, in contrast, hardly have any negative metabolism changes though they are, in theory, overweight. The reason for this is that they account for a high amount of muscular mass and a predominant level of hypodermic fat cells.

With the help of magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), research has been able to prove that against all expectations, a slim person with an average BMI can also possess distinctive visceral fat depositions and can also develop symptoms of the metabolic syndrome. Persons in this patient group are medically described as TOFI (thin outside, fat inside). The main problem here is that this group’s health risk is often underestimated. Established methods such as the BMI or the waist to hip ratio (which determines the relation between the circumference of waist and hip) may not reveal the full truth. The actual volume of a person’s visceral fat can, of course, be determined by way of an MRI, yet this method is elaborate from a technical standpoint, time-consuming and very expensive.

The seca mBCA devices offer a real alternative to this problem. They determine the body composition by way of the bioelectrical impedance analysis and can therefore quantify the amount of visceral fat cells precisely and reliably. Due to their easy and quick handling, the seca mBCA devices offer an effective screening method for patients in clinical and ambulatory settings – uncovering risks, which otherwise might have remained undiscovered for a long time.