A method and system for estimating the visceral adipose tissue (VAT) of a subject comprising performing a dual-energy X-ray scan of the subject; generating at least one image of the subject from the dual-energy X-ray scan; identifying a region of interest; dividing the region of interest into a plurality of sections; generating a soft tissue composition profile for each of the plurality of sections, wherein the soft tissue composition profile identifies an edge of the subject, an outer edge of an abdominal wall of the subject, a subcutaneous region and a subcutaneous thickness for each of the plurality of sections; determining a subcutaneous adipose tissue (SAT) composition for each of the plurality of sections, wherein a subcutaneous fat fraction is used to calculate the subcutaneous fat and lean masses and/or volumes; and determining a VAT based on the determined SAT composition for each of the plurality of sections.