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Body composition measurement in severe obesity.

Sai Krupa Das1

  • 1Energy Metabolism Laboratory, Jean Mayer USDA Human Nutrition Research Center on Aging at Tufts University, Boston, Massachusetts 02111, USA. sai.das@tufts.edu

Current Opinion in Clinical Nutrition and Metabolic Care
|October 6, 2005
PubMed
Summary

Accurate body composition measurement in severe obesity is challenging. A simple three-compartment model using air displacement plethysmography and bio-electrical impedance shows promise for assessing body fat percentage in severely obese individuals.

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Area of Science:

  • Physiology
  • Anthropometry
  • Obesity Research

Background:

  • Severe obesity significantly alters body composition, increasing fat mass and affecting fat-free mass, particularly total body water.
  • Physical size and compositional variations in severe obesity present significant challenges for accurate body composition measurement.
  • Existing body composition methods face methodological and practical hurdles when applied to severely obese populations.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To review the methodological and practical issues of common body composition measurement techniques in severe obesity.
  • To identify feasible body composition assessment methods for severely obese individuals based on available literature.

Main Methods:

  • Literature review focusing on body composition methods applicable to severe obesity.

Related Experiment Videos

  • Evaluation of a simple three-compartment model combining air displacement plethysmography (body density) and bio-electrical impedance (total body water).

    • Main Results:

    • Limited published research exists on reliable body composition methods for the severely obese.
    • A simple three-compartment model demonstrated comparable percentage body fat measurements to a complex traditional model.
    • This simplified model offers a feasible alternative to highly technical methods like isotope ratio mass spectrometry.

    Conclusions:

    • Assessing body composition in severe obesity presents unique challenges for researchers and clinicians.
    • A straightforward, accurate, and easily administered three-compartment model is a promising approach for this population.
    • Further research is necessary to validate this and other feasible methods across diverse severely obese groups.