The Evaluation of Body Composition: A Useful Tool for Clinical Practice

Abstract

Undernutrition is insufficiently detected in in- and outpatients, and this is likely to worsen during the next decades. The increased prevalence of obesity together with chronic illnesses associated with fat-free mass (FFM) loss will result in an increased prevalence of sarcopenic obesity. In patients with sarcopenic obesity, weight loss and the body mass index lack accuracy to detect FFM loss. FFM loss is related to increasing mortality, worse clinical outcomes, and impaired quality of life. In sarcopenic obesity and chronic diseases, body composition measurement with dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry, bioelectrical impedance analysis, or computerized tomography quantifies the loss of FFM. It allows tailored nutritional support and disease-specific therapy and reduces the risk of drug toxicity. Body composition evaluation should be integrated into routine clinical practice for the initial assessment and sequential follow-up of nutritional status. It could allow objective, systematic, and early screening of undernutrition and promote the rational and early initiation of optimal nutritional support, thereby contributing to reducing malnutrition-induced morbidity, mortality, worsening of the quality of life, and global health care costs.

Renal Hyperfiltration as a Novel Marker of All-Cause Mortality

“…We measured LBM by bioimpedance analysis, a standard method for measuring body components, especially in an epidemiologic setting. 21,22 , and this underestimation did not seem to influence the results. Peripheral edema or hydration status may also lead to an overestimation of LBM.…”

Influence of Male Obesity on Fertility

“…Th e terms also identify ranges of weight that have been shown to increase the likelihood of certain diseases, as well as other health problems 14 . Numerous simple and accessible anthropometric techniques have been developed to evaluate the body fat content such as BMI, waist to hip ratio (WHR), WC, bioelectrical impedance analysis (BIA), ultrasound and skinfold measurements [15][16][17][18][19][20][21][22][23] . Traditionally, BMI has been the most widely used method in classifying overweight and obesity in adult populations because it provides a relatively good estimate of the risks associated with developing diseases that occur more frequently in people with higher body fat content.…”

“…Th e resistance between the conductors will provide a measurement of body fat since resistance to the conduction of electricity varies between adipose, muscular and skeletal tissue. Fat-free mass (muscle) is a good conductor as it contains a large amount of water and electrolytes, while fat being anhydrous behaves as a poor conductor 20 . Recently, a newer and more accurate methodological variant, the bioelectrical impedance vector analysis (BIVA), has been used to successfully identify the relative proportion of fat mass in a large sample of adults 21 .…”

Métodos indiretos para mensuração da gordura corporal em adolescentes escolares

“…Além disso, é considerada de baixo custo quando comparada a outros métodos de avaliação da composição corporal, como a pletismografia com deslocamento de ar por meio de uma câmara denominada comercialmente de Bod Pod ® e a absortometria radiológica de dupla energia (DXA) (8,9) . Apesar disso, o seu uso ainda não é amplo em algumas populações, como entre as crianças e os adolescentes (1,5,(8)(9)(10)(11)(12) . Embora a mensuração da gordura corporal pelas dobras cutâneas seja o método mais empregado para avaliação nutricional de crianças e adolescentes, sua aplicabilidade consome tempo e demanda técnica adequada (5,7,11,13) .…”

“…Apesar disso, o seu uso ainda não é amplo em algumas populações, como entre as crianças e os adolescentes (1,5,(8)(9)(10)(11)(12) . Embora a mensuração da gordura corporal pelas dobras cutâneas seja o método mais empregado para avaliação nutricional de crianças e adolescentes, sua aplicabilidade consome tempo e demanda técnica adequada (5,7,11,13) . Apesar das diferentes padronizações e formas de avaliação inerentes aos métodos de dobras cutâneas e BIA para estimativa da gordura corporal, eles podem correlacionar-se de forma significativa (5,7) , de modo a elucidar o uso da bioimpedância como procedimento eficaz para avaliar o %GC em grandes populações.…”