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Body composition by the four-compartment model: validity of the BOD POD for assessing body fat in mexican elderly

European Journal of Clinical Nutrition volume 61, pages 830–836 (2007)Cite this article

Abstract

Objective:

The aims of this study were to validate BOD POD in a wide sample of healthy and independent Mexican elderly men and women subjects using the 4 compartment (4C) model as the reference method, and to evaluate the assumptions of the densitometric two-compartment (2C) model.

Design:

Cross-sectional study designed to assess body composition and validation of a method based on 2C model (BOD POD).

Setting:

Urban and rural regions of Sonora, Mexico.

Subjects:

Two hundred and two free-living subjects ⩾60 years old were completed in this study.

Methods:

Body density and body fat were measured by the BOD POD, total body water by deuterium dilution and total body bone ash by dual energy X-ray absorptiometry. Body composition was determined using Baumgartner's equation.

Results:

Percent body fat by the 4C model was 31.2 and 42.5% in men and women, respectively (P<0.001). Group mean accuracy of body fat by BOD POD against that of the 4C model showed an effect of sex (P<0.001), but not the method (P=0.27). Results of individual accuracy showed no significant difference with the identity line and the slope was significantly different from zero or a slope similar to one. Precision assessed by model R2 was high for all subjects and for men and women by separate. The standard error of the estimate was low for all and for men and women by separate. Bland and Altman analysis showed no significant bias.

Conclusion:

The BOD POD technique is a valid and reliable method compared to the 4C model and it could be applied in subjects with similar physical and anthropometric characteristics to subjects of this study.

Sponsorships:

The study was funded by CONACYT, Mexico (J37891-M) and IAEA (Research contract no. 12694/R0).

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Acknowledgements

We thank CONACYT (J37891-M), IAEA (Research contract No. 12694/R0) and CIAD, AC for the funds. We want to thank volunteers and their family for their unconditional participation, and as well as Bertha I Pacheco, Ana Cristina Gallegos, Francisco Navarrete, F Angelica Pérez for their technical assistance. We thank to Dr Martha del Prado responsible of the Nutrition Research Unit, at Centro Medico Nacional, Siglo XXI, IMSS for analysis of deuterium by mass spectrometry.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Coordinación de Nutrición, Centro de Investigación en Alimentación y Desarrollo, A. C., Hermosillo, Sonora, México

    H Alemán-Mateo, R H Huerta, J Esparza-Romero, R O Méndez, R Urquidez & M E Valencia

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  1. H Alemán-Mateo
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  2. R H Huerta
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  3. J Esparza-Romero
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  4. R O Méndez
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  5. R Urquidez
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  6. M E Valencia
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to H Alemán-Mateo.

Additional information

Guarantor: ME Valencia.

Contributors: HA-M is the project leader and contributed to the design, field work, data collection, analysis and writing of the manuscript. RHH contributed to the field work, data analysis and writing of the manuscript. JE-R contributed to the design, data analysis and writing of the manuscript. ROM contributed to the data collection, data analysis and writing of the manuscript. RU contributed to the field work coordination, data collection and writing of the manuscript. MEV contributed to the design, data analysis and writing of manuscript. None of the contributing authors had any financial or personal interests in any of the bodies sponsoring this research.

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Alemán-Mateo, H., Huerta, R., Esparza-Romero, J. et al. Body composition by the four-compartment model: validity of the BOD POD for assessing body fat in mexican elderly. Eur J Clin Nutr 61, 830–836 (2007). https://doi.org/10.1038/sj.ejcn.1602597

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