Sagittal abdominal diameter

Sagittal abdominal diameter (SAD) is a measure of visceral obesity, the amount of fat in the gut region.

[1][2][3] SAD is a strong predictor of coronary disease, with higher values indicating increased risk independent of BMI.

[2] For men in their 40s, a SAD greater than 25 cm also predicts significantly higher risk of developing Alzheimer's disease 30 years later.

[4] An article in Annals of Neurology links visceral fat to lower brain volume.

[6] The SAH method is easier for self-monitoring, but gives slightly lower results due to gravity; the values are not directly comparable.