Assessment methods in human body composition.
Level 5 - mechanism / opinion, no new human data
Narrative review of human body composition assessment techniques without original data or systematic pooling
PubMed 18685451 · doi:10.1097/MCO.0b013e32830b5f23
What was done
The authors reviewed established and emerging in vivo methods for assessing human body composition in nutritional and clinical contexts. Modalities covered included bioelectrical impedance analysis, dilution techniques, air displacement plethysmography, dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry (DXA), MRI, magnetic resonance spectroscopy (MRS), three-dimensional photonic scanning, and quantitative magnetic resonance.
What was found
The abstract reports no numerical findings or statistical measures. It describes the qualitative capabilities of current modalities to evaluate fat mass, fat-free mass, bone mineral content, total and extracellular water, adipose tissue subdepots (visceral, subcutaneous, and intermuscular), skeletal muscle, select organs, and ectopic fat depots. It highlights an ongoing need for kinetic functional measures and notes an assessment gap for infants beginning at birth.
Why it matters
It outlines the spectrum of tools available for tracking structural body composition changes in clinical and research settings to evaluate nutritional status and disease risk.
Limits
As a narrative review, the paper presents no original data, sample size, or systematic comparative accuracy metrics in the abstract. Key clinical limitations noted include the static nature of standard measurements (lacking metabolic kinetics) and the absence of adequate in vivo tools for neonates and infants.
Cited by
- supports Body composition assessment methods like DXA, underwater weighing, and bioelectrical impedance analysis measure fat-free mass as a combination of muscle and water rather than isolated muscle mass.