Body composition in elderly subjects: a critical appraisal of clinical methodology

Body composition measurements are integral to nutritional assessment of elderly subjects. The validity of methods available for partitioning body weight into its tissue or chemical subfractions in the geriatric population is of primary importance. Until recently verifying the accuracy of body composition techniques in vivo was limited by prevailing technology. New advances such as neutron activation analysis, neutron inelastic scattering, and dual photon absorptiometry now promise to overcome these earlier limitations. With these new tools investigators can now examine critical underlying assumptions related to body composition assessment in elderly subjects. This review highlights the need and opportunities for future research in this area.