Many constitutional indices, used as screening parameters in public health, have been explored (in-vivo) and applied for many years, but as yet there is no consensus on a universal index. This reflects confusion, or at least lack of agreement, about what a constitutional index should represent. The aim of this study was to explore the direct relationship of frequently used, unexplored and newly designed indices with adipose tissue masses and trunk adipose tissue distribution, on an anatomical 5-component model. Whole body and trunk composition, of 28 white Caucasian cadavers (aged 78.4±6.9 years), were determined at the anatomical tissue-system level by direct dissection. In the male group, the body mass index, the height/3body volume index and the weight/height-waist circumference-depth index showed good to excellent significant correlations with all adipose tissue masses (r-values between 0.75 and 0.92) and with the internal adipose tissue/adipose tissue ratio (r-values between 0.59 and 0.78). In the female group, the body mass index, the height/3body volume index and the weight/height-waist circumference index showed moderate to excellent significant correlations with all adipose tissue masses (r-values between 0.58 and 0.87) and with the internal adipose tissue/adipose tissue ratio (r-values between 0.52 and 0.80) and the internal adipose tissue/subcutaneous adipose tissue ratio (r-values between 0.48 and 0.78). The findings suggest that the newly designed indices (e.g. weight to height-waist circumference-depth index in males and weight to height-waist circumference index in females) are better correlates of whole body adipose tissue masses and trunk adipose tissue distribution than the frequently used indices.