title: Evaluation of body fat changes during weight loss by using improved anthropometric predictive equations.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Skinfold-based equations are widely used to evaluate body fat (BF), but over-/underestimation is often reported. We evaluate the capacity of improved skinfold-based equations to estimate BF changes during weight reduction and compare them against well-established equations.
  
  
  METHODS
  Overweight adults (n = 44) participated in a 4-month weight reduction intervention. Dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry (DXA) and anthropometric measurements were taken at baseline and after intervention. The BF% was calculated using García, Peterson, and Durnin and Womersley (DW) equations.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Baseline and postintervention BF% measured by DXA correlated highest with BF% predicted according to García (r = 0.934 and r = 0.948, respectively), followed by Peterson (r = 0.941 and r = 0.932, respectively) and DW (r = 0.557 and r = 0.402, respectively); only a slight systematic error in overestimating the BF% was observed in estimates according to García (r = 0.147 and r = 0.104, respectively; p < 0.001), while increasing errors occurred using the Peterson (r = 0.624 and r = 0.712, respectively; p < 0.001) and DW (r = 0.767 and r = 0.769, respectively; p < 0.001) equations. Moderate correlations between BF changes (kg) measured by DXA and predicted by DW (r = 0.7211), Peterson (r = 0.697), and García (r = 0.645) were observed.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Improved skinfold equations cannot accurately measure changes in BF after weight reduction.
authors.affiliation: Dietary Fibre and the Metabolic Syndrome Group, German Institute of Human Nutrition Potsdam-Rehbrucke, Nuthetal, Germany. garcia@mail.dife.de
authors.forename: Ada L
authors.initials: AL
authors.lastname: García
authors.forename: Karen
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Wagner
authors.forename: Christiana
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Einig
authors.forename: Ulrike
authors.initials: U
authors.lastname: Trippo
authors.forename: Corinna
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Koebnick
authors.forename: Hans-Joachim F
authors.initials: HJ
authors.lastname: Zunft
mesh_terms: D015502:Absorptiometry, Photon / Q000379:methods; D000273:Adipose Tissue / Q000378:metabolism*; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000886:Anthropometry; D001823:Body Composition / Q000502:physiology*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008433:Mathematics; D008875:Middle Aged; D009765:Obesity / Q000628:therapy*; D011237:Predictive Value of Tests; D015431:Weight Loss / Q000502:physiology*