Related Experiment Video
Updated: Aug 10, 2026

Whole-body Mass Spectrometry Imaging by Infrared Matrix-assisted Laser Desorption Electrospray Ionization (IR-MALDESI)
Published on: March 24, 2016
Body mass index compared to dual-energy x-ray absorptiometry: evidence for a spectrum bias
F Curtin1, A Morabia, C Pichard
1Division of Clinical Epidemiology, University Hospital Of Geneva (HUG), Switzerland.
Abstract:
The objective of this study was to evaluate the accuracy of body mass index (BMI) in the diagnosis of obesity. The relationship of this weight-for-height index to body composition was determined using dual-energy x-ray absorptiometry (DEXA) in 226 Caucasian subjects. BMI-obesity was defined as a BMI greater than 27.8 kg/m2 in males and greater than 27.3 kg/m2 in females. BMI-obesity was weakly sensitive (males: 12.5%, females 13.6%) compared with diagnosis by DEXA, defined as percent body fat mass (%BF) greater than 20% in males and greater than 25% in females. Conversely, the specificity of BMI-obesity was high (males and females: 100%). When analyzing subgroups of subjects according to weight, sensitivity was higher among heavier subjects than among lighter ones. In both sexes and in all subgroups, the specificity was 100%. The clinical implication of this spectrum bias is that, in men or women weighing less than 80 kg, measures of obesity other than BMI, such as bioelectrical impedance, should be preferred.
More Related Videos
Related Concept Videos
High-Resolution Mass Spectrometry (HRMS)
Mass Spectrometry: Isotope Effect
X-ray Imaging
Mass Analyzers: Overview
Atomic Absorption Spectroscopy: Overview
When irradiated by EMR of a particular wavelength, these...
Atomic Emission Spectroscopy: Overview

