Adjustment of fat-free mass and fat mass for height in children aged 8 y.
OBJECTIVE
To explore the relationships between height and (a) fat-free mass (FFM) and (b) fat mass (FM) in children in order to determine the optimum means of adjusting body composition for height.


METHODS
Cross-sectional study.


METHODS
Sixty-nine children aged 8 y.


METHODS
Weight and height (HT) were measured, and total body water by deuterium dilution for estimation of fat-free mass and fat mass. The indices FFM/HT(2) and FM/HT(2) were calculated, as were the indices FFM/HT(p) and FM/HT(p) where P was selected in order to eliminate the correlation of these indices with height.


RESULTS
FFM was optimally adjusted for height by calculating FFM/HT(2). FM was optimally adjusted by calculating FM/HT(6). However, height accounted for <8% of the variation in FM/HT(2), indicating that the bias of this simpler index is small.


CONCLUSIONS
Different adjustments of FFM and FM for height are possible, depending on the study design. The indices FFM/HT(2) and FM/HT(2) are appropriate for many purposes, and have the advantage of expressing both aspects of body composition in common units. However, in some scenarios a more sophisticated approach is required for evaluating body fatness.
Wells
J C K
JC
MRC Childhood Nutrition Research Centre, Institute of Child Health, London, UK.
Cole
T J
TJ
D000273:Adipose Tissue; D001823:Body Composition; D001827:Body Height; D015992:Body Mass Index; D001835:Body Weight; D002648:Child; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D003903:Deuterium; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D012044:Regression Analysis; D006113:United Kingdom
D003903:Deuterium