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Air displacement plethysmography can detect moderate changes in body composition
A Secchiutti1, C Fagour, C Perlemoine
1Nutrition-Diabétologie, USN, Hopital Haut-Lévêque, Pessac, France.
European Journal of Clinical Nutrition
|July 21, 2006
Summary
Air displacement plethysmography (APD) can detect approximately 2 kg changes in body composition, including fat mass and fat-free mass, within small study groups. This method shows reliable correlation with true changes, making it useful for body composition evaluation.
Area of Science:
- Physiology
- Body Composition Analysis
- Biomedical Engineering
Background:
- Accurate body composition assessment is crucial in various physiological and clinical contexts.
- Air displacement plethysmography (APD) is a non-invasive method for estimating body density and composition.
Purpose of the Study:
- To evaluate the sensitivity of air displacement plethysmography (APD) in detecting changes in body composition.
- To assess the reliability of APD measurements under varying load conditions in healthy subjects.
Main Methods:
- Ten healthy volunteers underwent APD measurements with and without 1-liter and 2-liter loads of oil or water.
- Paired t-tests were used to compare measured versus true changes in fat mass and fat-free mass.
- Correlation and Bland & Altman analyses were performed on 60 measurements from 30 subjects with varying load conditions.
Main Results:
- APD detected significant changes in fat mass and fat-free mass with both oil and water loads.
- Two-liter loads resulted in distinct changes: +1.49 kg fat and +0.50 kg fat-free with oil; +0.37 kg fat and +1.70 kg fat-free with water.
- Measured changes in adiposity correlated with true changes, with no significant bias observed.
Conclusions:
- Air displacement plethysmography (APD) demonstrates sensitivity in detecting approximately 2 kg changes in fat or fat-free mass.
- APD is a reliable tool for evaluating body composition changes in small populations.