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Energy expenditure and body composition

Impact of body-composition methodology on the composition of weight loss and weight gain

European Journal of Clinical Nutrition volume 67, pages 446–454 (2013)Cite this article

Subjects

Abstract

Background/Objectives:

We intended to (i) to compare the composition of weight loss and weight gain using densitometry, deuterium dilution (D2O), dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry (DXA), magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and the four-compartment (4C) model and (ii) to compare regional changes in fat mass (FM), fat-free mass (FFM) and skeletal muscle as assessed by DXA and MRI.

Subjects/Methods:

Eighty-three study participants aged between 21 and 58 years with a body mass index range of 20.2–46.8 kg/m2 had been assessed at two different occasions with a mean follow-up between 23.5 and 43.5 months. Body-weight changes within < 3% were considered as weight stable, a gain or a loss of >3% of initial weight was considered as a significant weight change.

Results:

There was a considerable bias between the body-composition data obtained by the individual methods. When compared with the 4C model, mean bias of D2O and densitometry was explained by the erroneous assumption of a constant hydration of FFM, thus, changes in FM were underestimated by D2O but overestimated by densitometry. Because hydration does not normalize after weight loss, all two-component models have a systematic error in weight-reduced subjects. The bias between 4C model and DXA was mainly explained by FM% at baseline, whereas FFM hydration contributed to additional 5%. As to the regional changes in body composition, DXA data had a considerable bias and, thus, cannot replace MRI.

Conclusions:

To assess changes in body composition associated with weight changes, only the 4C model and MRI can be used with confidence.

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Acknowledgements

The authors wish to thank Britta Jux, Klinik für Radiologische Diagnostik, UKSH Kiel, for their help in MRI scanning. The study was funded by Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG Mü 714/ 8-3) BMBF Kompetenznetz Adipositas, Core domain “Body composition” (Körperzusammensetzung; FKZ 01GI1125)

Disclosure

The sponsor of the study (DFG, BMBF) had no role in study design, the collection, analysis and the interpretation of the data, writing the text or in the decision to submit the manuscript.

Author contributions

ABW and MJM designed and supervised the study, ABW, MP and MJM wrote the final version of the manuscript, MJM and ABW had primary responsibility for the final content of the manuscript. ABW and WL performed all the investigations. BS, WL, MP organized the study, collected the data, did the segmentations of whole body MRI data and performed the statistical analyses. C-CG was responsible for DXA and MRI examinations.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Institute of Human Nutrition and Food Science, Christian-Albrechts University, Kiel, Germany

    M Pourhassan, B Schautz, W Braun, A Bosy-Westphal & M J Müller

  2. Sektion Biomedizinische Bildgebung, Klinik für Diagnostische Radiologie, MOIN CC, Universitätsklinikum (University Medical Center) Schleswig Holstein (UKSH), Kiel, Germany

    C-C Gluer

  3. Institute of Nutritional Medicine, University of Hohenheim, Stuttgart, Germany

    A Bosy-Westphal

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Correspondence to M J Müller.

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Pourhassan, M., Schautz, B., Braun, W. et al. Impact of body-composition methodology on the composition of weight loss and weight gain. Eur J Clin Nutr 67, 446–454 (2013). https://doi.org/10.1038/ejcn.2013.35

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