The Concept of CMR
Slides, videos and moreEvaluating CMR
Clinical Tools
Indices of Total Adiposity
- 1Key Points (1 page)
- 2Indices of Total Adiposity (1 page)
- 3Indices of Total Adiposity - BMI (2 pages)
- 4Indices of Total Adiposity - Skinfolds (1 page)
- 5Indices of Total Adiposity – BIA (1 page)
- 6Indices of Total Adiposity – Densitometry (Hydrostatic Weighing and Air Displacement Plethysmography) (1 page)
- 7References (1 page)
Indices of Total Adiposity – BIA
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Figure 2: 
Figure 2: BIA is a simple, inexpensive technique that uses the body’s ability to conduct a mild electrical current to indirectly estimate fat-free mass or percent body fat (Figure 2) (29, 30, 40). Body conductivity is proportional to total body water and fat-free mass, but can be affected by many factors such as hydration, temperature, distribution of fluid within the intra- and extra-cellular compartments, the cross-sectional area of the limbs, and body length (29, 30, 40). Depending on the model and equation, BIA has been reported to both overestimate and underestimate fat mass (41), while generally underestimating body fat in obese individuals (29). Nevertheless, it appears that BIA is a fairly accurate predictor of fat and fat-free mass (SEE = 2 to 3 kg) (29), with smaller estimate errors compared to BMI and other anthropometric measures ( 2). However, one of the major limitations of BIA is that most equations lose accuracy when they are applied to other populations that differ with regards to age, race, gender, or adiposity, and few if any equations appear useful across heterogeneous populations (29). In addition, studies are divided as to whether BIA is better than BMI in predicting traditional cardiovascular disease risk factors (43-45).
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