title: Comparison of different body composition measurements in severely obese patients in the clinical setting.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Body composition measurements seem to be not reliable enough in obese patients. Our aim was to compare single frequency-bioelectrical impedance (SF-BIA) analysis; foot-to-foot impedance meters (FFI) or upper body fat analysers (UBFA) and DXA (Dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry) in severely obese patients.
  
  
  METHODS
  Cross-sectional study including 40 severely obese patients. Bioelectrical impedance was performed for SF-BIA (Holtain (H) and OMRON BF 500 (O500)), FFI (Tanita TBF-300 (T)) and UBFA (Omron BF 300 (O300)). DXA scans were performed using a Lunar iDXA. The data were analysed using Pearson's correlation and Bland Altman plots were also drawn to evaluate any agreements.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The percentage and total body fat values were 49.2% and 55.2 kg measured with DXA, 44.3%/53.4 kg with O300, 50.6%/58.3 kg with O500, 45.4%/55.4 kg with H and 49.1%/60.3 kg with T. The Holtain BIA showed the worst correlation with DXA for both %BF and FFM. Although the measurements of % body fat, fat mass and fat-free mass were significantly correlated with DXA, each method showed wide limits of agreement, although T was most closely correlated with DXA.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Compared to DXA, FFI and UBFA could be useful for assessing body composition in severely obese people, although they appeared to underestimate %BF and FM and their limits of agreement were too wide.
authors.affiliation: Sección de Endocrinología y Nutrición, Complejo Asistencial Universitario de León, León, España. mdballesteros@telefonica.net
authors.forename: M D
authors.initials: MD
authors.lastname: Ballesteros-Pomar
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Calleja-Fernández
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Diez-Rodríguez
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Vidal-Casariego
authors.forename: M D
authors.initials: MD
authors.lastname: Blanco-Suárez
authors.forename: I
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Cano-Rodríguez
mesh_terms: D015502:Absorptiometry, Photon; D000273:Adipose Tissue / Q000473:pathology; D000328:Adult; D019412:Anatomy, Cross-Sectional; D001823:Body Composition / Q000502:physiology*; D015992:Body Mass Index; D017097:Electric Impedance; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009765:Obesity / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000473:pathology; D015203:Reproducibility of Results