2.4. Abdominal Fat Area
Abdominal VFA and SFA were measured using CT. Four-slice CT images (120 kVp, 400 mAs tube current, 5.0 mm slice thickness and 420 mm field of view) were acquired at the level of the lumbar 4 vertebra. Abdominal VFA, SFA and TFA (i.e., visceral + subcutaneous) were measured using Fat Scan ver. 4 (East Japan Institute of Technology Co., Ltd., Hitachi, Japan). To avoid unnecessary radiation exposure, CT scans were conducted only once at each measurement point (0, 8 and 12 weeks). The measurement of VFA by CT is reported to be easily affected by the slice site as well as the respiration phase of the subject [