Increasing the rigor of body composition and adiposity measurement in multiple sclerosis research

Multiple sclerosis (MS) is an immune-mediated neurodegenerative disease that affects nearly 1 million adults in the United States, and over half of this population also has overweight or obesity. The compounding effect of multiple disease states could increase disease progression and worsen MS symptoms. MS researchers frequently use anthropometric measures, such as BMI and waist circumference, as an assessment of obesity. However, these measurements do not provide a direct assessment of types or location of adipose tissue, which may provide a more accurate assessment of adiposity-related health risk. The main objectives of this mini review are to provide a brief overview of current adiposity measurement techniques in MS research and highlight potential benefits of using more rigorous indirect and direct techniques to measure total, regional, and specific fat depots.