Abstract: Fat and lean mass change with latitude was analyzed from the measurement of 16 characteristics of 10451 urban adults (5048 males, 5403 females) of Han people from 2009 to 2013. The results of this work was as follows. The averages of fat and lean mass of the 31 groups were different from each other. The maximum of fat mass of males and females were of the Baoding Han people, whereas the minimum fat mass in males was in the Yichun Han and the minimum fat mass in females was in the Ningxiang Han. The maximum of lean mass in males was in the Hulan Han people and the maximum in females was in the Nanyang Han people. The minimum lean mass in males was in the Ganzhou Han people and the minimum lean mass in females was in the Qionghai Han people. In each ethnic group, averages of fat mass was higher in females, but the averages of lean mass was lower than males. The development of chest circumference, hip circumference (abdominal circumference of females) and subcutaneous fat of the body influences the development of fat mass of urban Han people, whereas the development of trunk and lower limbs circumference (bones of upper extremity of male) influences the development of lean mass of urban Han people. With increasing latitude, the body mass of urban adults of Han people increases linearly (or from the south to North China), mass, fat mass, lean mass of urban Han people showed a linear increase. The increase of fat mass and lean mass with increasing latitude commonly caused a regular change in body masses.

Key words: Lean mass; Fat mass; Latitude; Correlation; Han