Body Composition and Risk for Development of Pre-diabetes in Post-menopausal Chinese Women in Singapore

Disproportionate non-communicable disease risk present in some ethnicities has been demonstrated and is amplified by increased weight gain. Relative to Malay and Caucasian populations, the prevalence of obesity increased sharply in people of Chinese and Indian ethnicity and diabetes risk is prevalent at a BMI of 21 (equivalent to a BMI >25 in Caucasian populations). It was also speculated that Chinese Singaporean women are prone to metabolic syndrome at a lower BMI. This study will recruit two groups of postmenopausal women with different BMI's and to measure markers for metabolic syndrome. These participants will visit Clinical Nutrition Research Centre for a single session and will undergo a whole body scan and a regional scan of the lumbar spine and femoral neck with a bone densitometer and fasting baseline blood and urine samples collected. Dual Energy X-ray Absorptiometry (DEXA) scan will provide percentage fat mass, fat in gram, whole body bone mineral content and total body lean mass. From these, gynoid and android fat distribution will be derived and appendicular lean mass will be calculated and an index calculated using kg/m2 to give an indication of relative muscle mass. In addition blood and urine samples will be collected for metabolic risk analysis. Participants will be also be undergoing a Quantitative Computed Tomography (QCT) scan which will allow true volumetric measurements of the lumbar spine and proximal femur independent of the body size. Volumetric density values will be measured in Hounsfield units transformed into Bone Mineral Density measurements using a calibration phantom underneath the patient. Magnetic Resonance Imaging of the 3rd lumbar vertebra and the right hip will also be performed.