Using Body Composition Assessment to Evaluate the Double Burden of Malnutrition

Populations in low- and middle-income countries are increasingly experiencing a double burden of malnutrition (DBM), incorporating both persistent levels of child undernutrition and rising prevalence of overweight/obesity at later ages. A growing number of individuals experience both components of the DBM through the life-course, thereby accumulating high susceptibility to noncommunicable disease (NCD).

Measurements of body composition may prove valuable for assessing NCD risk at the level of the individual. The capacity-load model provides a simple conceptual framework for integrating data on different components of body composition to predict NCD risk. Poor growth in early life, indexed by becoming wasted or stunted, constrains the development of lean mass components such as muscle and organ mass, each of which contribute to the metabolic capacity for homeostasis. Catch-up weight gain in early life, or the development of excess weight from childhood onwards, is associated with elevated adiposity, especially abdominal adiposity, which challenges cardio-metabolic homeostasis and elevates NCD risk. Key Messages: A variety of techniques are now available for the measurement of body composition, helping research the association of the DBM with NCD risk. Reference charts allow raw data to be converted to age- and sex-specific z-scores, aiding interpretation.