Methodological standards for body composition assessment-an expert-endorsed guide for research and clinical applications: bioimpedance, dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry, computerized tomography, and ultrasound methods.
Level 5 - mechanism / opinion, no new human data
Expert panel narrative review providing methodological guidance without a systematic review design.
PubMed 41864542 · doi:10.1016/j.ajcnut.2026.101283
What was done
An international panel of experts compiled a narrative review outlining methodological standards, terminology, measurement protocols, validity and reliability considerations, data interpretation, and longitudinal monitoring for four common body composition assessment modalities: bioelectrical impedance, dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry (DXA), computerized tomography (CT), and ultrasound.
What was found
The abstract reports no quantitative data, statistics, or pooled metrics. It presents expert-endorsed methodological recommendations and standardized principles for diagnosing conditions such as sarcopenia, malnutrition, and sarcopenic obesity.
Why it matters
Inconsistent terminology and protocols across body composition techniques hinder data comparability; this guide offers standardized practices to improve consistency across research studies and clinical workflows.
Limits
As a narrative review, it reflects expert opinion and synthesis rather than a systematic review or meta-analysis with a formal risk-of-bias assessment. No original experimental data or quantitative accuracy comparisons are reported in the abstract.
Cited by
- supports Lean body mass measurements in clinical and laboratory settings capture blood, connective tissue, and soft tissue rather than directly measuring muscle mass, with skeletal muscle representing approximately 50% of lean body mass.