Hostname: page-component-586b7cd67f-vdxz6 Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-11-27T13:57:11.107Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false
  • English
  • Français

Evaluation of the novel Tanita body-fat analyser to measure body composition by comparison with a four-compartment model

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  09 March 2007

Susan A. Jebb ,
Timothy J. Cole ,
Deanne Doman ,
Peter R. Murgatroyd  and
Andrew M. Prentice
Susan A. Jebb*
Affiliation:
MRC Human Nutrition Research (formerly Dunn Nutritional Laboratory), Downhams Lane, Cambridge, CB4 1XJ, UK
Timothy J. Cole
Affiliation:
MRC Human Nutrition Research (formerly Dunn Nutritional Laboratory), Downhams Lane, Cambridge, CB4 1XJ, UK
Deanne Doman
Affiliation:
MRC Human Nutrition Research (formerly Dunn Nutritional Laboratory), Downhams Lane, Cambridge, CB4 1XJ, UK
Peter R. Murgatroyd
Affiliation:
MRC Human Nutrition Research (formerly Dunn Nutritional Laboratory), Downhams Lane, Cambridge, CB4 1XJ, UK
Andrew M. Prentice
Affiliation:
MRC Human Nutrition Research (formerly Dunn Nutritional Laboratory), Downhams Lane, Cambridge, CB4 1XJ, UK
*
*Corresponding author: Dr Susan Jebb, fax +44 (0) 1223 426617, email [email protected]
Rights & Permissions [Opens in a new window]

Abstract

Core share and HTML view are not available for this content. However, as you have access to this content, a full PDF is available via the ‘Save PDF’ action button.

The Tanita body-fat analyser is a novel device to estimate body fat, based on the principles of bioelectrical impedance. It differs from other impedance systems which use surface electrodes in that the subjects stand bare-footed on a metal sole-plate which incorporates the electrodes, hence impedance is measured through the legs and lower trunk. In 104 men and 101 women (16–78 years and BMI 16–41 kg/m2) the mean bias in body-fat mass measured using the Tanita body-fat analyser was 0·8 (2SD 7·9) KG RELATIVE TO A FOUR-COMPARTMENT MODEL. THIS IS COMPARABLE TO THE OTHER PREDICTION TECHNIQUES TESTED (CONVENTIONAL TETRAPOLAR IMPEDANCE -1·3 (2sd 6·9) kg, skinfold thicknesses 0·3 (2sd 7·4) kg, and BMI-based formulas -0·2 (2sd 9·0) kg and -0·6 (2sd 8·5) kg), but the agreement was poorer than for ‘reference’ methods to measure body fat (density 0·2 (2sd 3·7) kg, total body water -0·9 (2sd 3·4) kg and dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry 0·1 (2sd 5·0) kg). The present paper also describes the derivation of a new prediction equation for the calculation of body composition from the Tanita body-fat analyser. The equation incorporates sex, age, and a log-transformation of height, weight and the measured impedance to predict body fat measured by a four-compartment model. This approach is recommended in the derivation of other prediction equations in body composition analysis. Using this novel prediction equation the residual standard deviations were 4·8 % for men and 3·3 % for women. A similar analysis using data collected with a conventional tetrapolar system yielded residual standard deviations of 4·3 % for men and 3·1 % for women. This demonstrates that the practical simplicity of the novel Tanita method is not associated with a clinically significant decrement in performance relative to a traditional impedance device.

Keywords

Body compositionBody fatFour-compartment modelTanita
Type
Research Article
Information
British Journal of Nutrition , Volume 83 , Issue 2 , February 2000 , pp. 115 - 122
Copyright
Copyright © The Nutrition Society 2000

References

Bell, NA, McClure, PD, Hill, RJ and Davies, PSW (1998) Assessment of foot-to-foot bioelectrical impedance analysis for the prediction of total body water. European Journal of Clinical Nutrition 52, 856–859.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Black, D, James, WPT, Besser, GM, Brook, CGD, Craddock, D, Garrow, JS, Hockaday, TDR, Lewis, B, Pilkington, TRE, Silverstone, JT, Mann, JI, Miller, DD, Pyke, DA, Williams, DG and Skinner, RK (1983) Obesity. A report of the Royal College of Physicians. Journal of the Royal College of Physicians 17, 5–65.Google Scholar
Durnin, JVGA and Womersley, J (1974) Body fat assessed from total body density and its estimation from skinfold thickness measurement in 481 men and women aged 16 to 72 years. British Journal of Nutrition 32, 77–97.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Fuller, NJ and Elia, M (1989) Potential use of the bio-electrical impedance of the 'whole-body' and of body segments for the assessment of body composition: comparison with densitometry and anthropometry. European Journal of Clinical Nutrition 43, 779–791.Google Scholar
Fuller, NJ, Jebb, SA, Laskey, MA, Coward, WA and Elia, M (1992) Four component model for the assessment of body composition in humans: comparison with alternative methods and evaluation of the density and hydration of fat free mass. Clinical Science 82, 687–693.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Fuller, NJ, Sawyer, MB and Elia, M (1994) Comparative evaluation of body composition methods and predictions, and calculation of density and hydration fraction of fat-free mass, in obese women. International Journal of Obesity 18, 503–512.Google ScholarPubMed
Garrow, JS and Webster, J (1985) Quetelet's Index as a measure of fatness. International Journal of Obesity 9, 147–153.Google ScholarPubMed
Hoffer, EC, Meador, CK and Simpson, DC (1969) Correlation of whole-body impedance with total body water volume. Journal of Applied Physiology 27, 531–534.Google Scholar
Jebb, SA (1997) Measurement of soft tissue composition by dual energy X-ray absorptiometry. British Journal of Nutrition 77, 151–163.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Jebb, SA (1998) Measuring body composition: from the laboratory to the clinic. In Clinical Obesity, pp. 18–49 [Kopelman, PG, and Stock, MJ, editors]. London: Blackwell.Google Scholar
Jebb, SA and Elia, M (1993) Techniques for the measurement of body composition: a practical guide International Journal of Obesity 17, 611–621.Google ScholarPubMed
Jebb, SA & Elia, M (1995) Multicompartment models in health and disease. In Body Composition Techniques in Health and Disease, pp. 240–254 [Davies, PSW, and Cole, TJ, editors]. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Jebb, SA, Murgatroyd, PR, Goldberg, GR, Prentice, AM and Coward, WA (1993) In vivo measurement of changes in body composition: description of methods and their validation against 12-d continuous whole-body calorimetry. American Journal of Clinical Nutrition 58, 455–462.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Nunez, C, Gallagher, D, Visser, M Pi-Sunyer FX, Wang, Z and Heymsfield, SB (1997) Bioimpedance analysis: evaluation of leg-to-leg system based on pressure contact foot-pad electrodes. Medicine and Science in Sports and Exercise 29, 524–531.Google ScholarPubMed
Siri, WS (1956) The Gross Composition of the Body. New York, NY: Academic Press.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Siri, WS (1961) Body Composition From Fluid Spaces and Density: a Combined Analysis of Methods. Washington, DC: National Academy of Sciences — National Research Council.Google Scholar
Utter, AC, Nieman, DC, Ward, AN and Butterworth, DE (1999) Use of the leg-to-leg bioelectrical impedance method in assessing body composition change in obese women. American Journal of Clinical Nutrition 69, 603–607.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed