Evaluation of body composition is an important part of assessing nutritional status and provides prognostically useful data and an opportunity to monitor the effects of nutrition‐related disease ...progression and nutritional intervention. The aim of this narrative review is to critically evaluate body composition methodology in adults, focusing on anthropometric variables. The variables considered include height, weight, body mass index and alternative indices, trunk measurements (waist and hip circumferences and sagittal abdominal diameter) and limb measurements (mid‐upper arm and calf circumferences) and skinfold thickness. The importance of adhering to a defined measurement protocol, checking measurement error and the need to interpret measurements using appropriate population‐specific cut‐off values to identify health risks were highlighted. Selecting the optimum method for assessing body composition using anthropometry depends on the purpose (i.e. evaluating obesity or undernutrition) and requires practitioners to have a good understanding of both practical and theoretical limitations and to be able to interpret the results wisely.
CrossFit is recognized as one of the fastest-growing high-intensity functional training modes in the world. The study aimed to compare the effects of the CrossFit training program and traditional gym ...training on anthropometric measurements in healthy, active men. The study sample consisted of 50 participants who were divided into two groups, 22 participants who practiced the CrossFit training program (CFT group; 28.64±2.04 years; body height 181.74±6.96 cm; body mass: 72.75±5.53 kg), and 28 participants who applied traditional gym training (GT group; 26.89±2.99 years; body height: 184.52±7.80 cm; body mass: 74.86±8.48 kg). A total of ten anthropometric measurements (Body height, Body mass, BMI, Subscapular, Abdominal and Triceps skinfolds, Chest, Forearm, Upper arm, and Thigh circumferences) were monitored before and after twelve weeks. The Shapiro-Wilk test was used to test the normality of distribution. The multivariate analysis covariance (MANCOVA) and analysis of covariance (ANCOVA) were used to analyze the data. The results of this study indicated that there were statistically significant differences between groups in the Circumference of the upper arm (p=0.02), Thigh circumference (p=0.00), Chest circumference (p=0.03), and Subscapular skinfold (p=0.00). The findings of this study demonstrated that healthy, active males who participated in the 12-week CrossFit training program improved their anthropometric measurements more than those who trained in the traditional gym training.
Although the prevalence of childhood obesity, as assessed by BMI (kg/m(2)), has tripled over the last 3 decades, this index is a measure of excess weight rather than excess body fatness. In this ...review we focus on the relation of BMI to body fatness and health risks, particularly on the ability of BMI for age >or=95th Centers for Disease Control and Prevention CDC percentile to identify children who have excess body fatness. We also examine whether these associations differ according to race/ethnicity and whether skinfold and circumference measurements provide additional information on body fatness or health risks.
The accuracy of BMI varies according to the degree of body fatness. Among relatively fat children, BMI is a good indicator of excess adiposity, but differences in the BMIs of relatively thin children can be largely due to fat-free mass. Although the accuracy of BMI in identifying children with excess body fatness depends on the chosen cut points, we have found that a high BMI-for-age has a moderately high (70%-80%) sensitivity and positive predictive value, along with a high specificity (95%). Children with a high BMI are much more likely to have adverse risk factor levels and to become obese adults than are thinner children. Skinfold thicknesses and the waist circumference may be useful in identifying children with moderately elevated levels of BMI (85th to 94 th percentiles) who truly have excess body fatness or adverse risk factor levels.
A BMI for age at >or=95th percentile of the CDC reference population is a moderately sensitive and a specific indicator of excess adiposity among children.
This study investigated changes in body composition in relation to training load determined using RPE and duration (sRPE), and its relationship with physical qualities over a preseason period. ...Sixteen professional academy players (age = 17.2 ± 0.7 years; stature = 179.9 ± 4.9 cm; body mass = 88.5 ± 10.1 kg) participated in the study. Body composition was assessed before and after each training phase and physical qualities assessed at the start and end of preseason. Across the whole preseason period, skinfold thickness, body fat percentage and fat mass were most likely lower (ES = −0.73 to −1.00), and fat free mass and lean mass were likely to most likely higher (ES = 0.31 to 0.40). Results indicated that the magnitude of change appeared phase-dependent (ES = −0.05 to −0.85) and demonstrated large individual variability. Changes in physical qualities ranged from unclear to most likely (ES = −0.50 to 0.64). Small to moderate correlations were observed between changes in body composition, and TL with changes in physical qualities. This study suggests training phase and TL can influence a player's body composition; that large inter-participant variability exists; and that body composition and TL are related to the change in physical qualities.
Although many studies have found that childhood levels of body mass index (BMI; kg/m(2)) are associated with adult levels, it has been reported that childhood BMI is not associated with adult ...adiposity. We further examined these longitudinal associations.
Cohort study based on examinations between 1973 and 1996.
Bogalusa, Louisiana.
Children (2610; ages 2-17 years old) who were followed to ages 18 to 37 years; the mean follow-up was 17.6 years.
BMI-for-age and triceps skinfold thickness (SF) were measured in childhood. Subscapular and triceps SFs were measured among adults, and the mean SF was used as an adiposity index. Adult obesity was defined as a BMI >or= 30 kg/m(2) and adult overfat as a mean SF in the upper (gender-specific) quartile.
Childhood levels of both BMI and triceps SF were associated with adult levels of BMI and adiposity. The magnitude of these longitudinal associations increased with childhood age, but the BMI levels of even the youngest (ages 2-5 years) children were moderately associated (r = 0.33-0.41) with adult adiposity. Overweight (BMI-for-age >or= 95th centile) 2- to 5-year-olds were >4 times as likely to become overfat adults (15 of 23 65%), as were children with a BMI < 50th centile (30 of 201 15%). Even after accounting for the triceps SF of children, BMI-for-age provided additional information on adult adiposity.
Childhood BMI is associated with adult adiposity, but it is possible that the magnitude of this association depends on the relative fatness of children.
Background: Although the prevalence of a body mass index BMI (in kg/m2) ≥30 has tripled among US adults since the 1960s, BMI is only moderately correlated with body fatness. Because skinfolds can ...more accurately estimate body fatness than can BMI, it is possible that skinfolds could be useful in monitoring secular trends in body fatness.
Objective: We examined whether there were similar secular trends for skinfolds (triceps and subscapular), BMI, and waist circumference between US adults.
Design: This study was an analysis of 45,754 adults who participated in the NHANES from 1988–1994 through 2009–2010. Approximately 19% of the subjects were missing ≥1 skinfold-thickness measurement. These missing values were imputed from other characteristics.
Results: Trends in mean levels and in the prevalence of high levels of the 4 body size measures were fairly similar between men, with mean levels increasing by ≥5% from 1988–1994 through 2009–2010. Slightly larger increases were seen in women for BMI and waist circumference (7–8%), but trends in skinfolds were markedly different. The mean triceps skinfold, for example, increased by 2 mm through 2003–2004, but subsequently decreased so that the mean in 2009–2010 did not differ from that in 1988–1994. Compared with obese women in 1988–1994, the mean BMI of obese women in 2009–2010 was 1 higher, but mean levels of both skinfolds were 5–10% lower.
Conclusions: Although there were fairly similar trends in levels of BMI, waist circumference, and skinfold thicknesses in men in the United States from 1988–1994 through 2009–2010, there were substantial differences in women. Our results indicate that it is unlikely that skinfold thicknesses could be used to monitor trends in obesity.
To analyse secular changes (2010-2020) in skinfold thickness in children and adolescents in different BMI categories.
The study group consisted of 3-16-year olds included in two cross-sectional ...studies. Measurements included height, weight and 5 skinfolds. The Body Mass Index was used to categorize participants into low (underweight), normal or excess (overweight and obesity) weight groups based on IOTF cut-off points. Differences of skinfold thicknesses between both cohorts, within each of the weight status categories, were assessed using two-way ANOVA and Tukey's tests.
In both sexes, there was a negative secular trend in limb adiposity among the normal weight and underweight cohorts. However, in both of those subpopulations individuals examined in 2020 had greater trunk adiposity, in comparison to their counterparts examined in 2010. Declining limb adiposity was also present in the overweight category. Although, trunk adiposity among individuals with overweight was generally comparable in both cohorts.
There was a tendency towards normal weight obesity, particularly excess abdominal adiposity, among the 2020 cohort. These findings further suggest that using only the BMI, without taking into consideration tissue composition of the body, may result in misclassification of children and adolescents with high adiposity as normal-weight.
Ayurveda, the Indian system of medicine offers many herbs and formulations for management of obesity. Baidyanath Bhawan Pvt. Ltd has designed a formulation, HFO-02, based on Ayurvedic literature.
To ...evaluate the efficacy of Herbal Formulation for Obesity (HFO-02) in overweight individuals.
With approval from the Institutional Ethics Committee, a proof of concept study was carried out in overweight individuals (Body Mass Index, BMI ≥25.0 and ≤ 30.0 kg/m2), devoid of any endocrinological disorders. Tablet HFO-02 (500 mg) was administered to these individuals twice daily for 90 days, during which they were called at study site fortnightly. After stopping the treatment, they were further followed up for 30 days off-medication and the last follow up was scheduled on day 120. Anthropometric parameters were assessed at every visit, while biochemical parameters viz. lipid profile, blood sugar & insulin levels (both fasting and post prandial), C- reactive protein and adipocytokines (leptin & adiponectin) were estimated monthly.
Of the 18 participants recruited in the study; 14 completed the study. HFO-02 did not show reduction in weight, however a significant decrease in the body circumference and skin fold was demonstrated. This decrease was maintained till day 120. The levels of all biochemical parameters were maintained and no adverse events were reported throughout the study.
Tablet HFO-02 reduced body circumferences and skinfold thickness indicating its potential for obesity management.
CTRI/2016/07/007067.
Although evidence suggests that obesity track well from childhood to adolescence, most of the research has been done in Western and high-income countries. Moreover, most of the studies have tracked ...body-mass index, as a proxy of nutritional status, while tracking characteristics of circumferences and skinfold thicknesses have been less studies. Therefore, the main purpose of the study was to explore tracking characteristics of complete anthropometric data from childhood to adolescence.
This sub-study was part of the Czech ELSPAC study. In the present 8-year longitudinal study, we collected information from pediatrician's medical records at the ages of 8 y (n = 888), 11 y (n = 1065), 13 y (n = 811) and 15 y (n = 974), including circumferences (head, chest, waist, hips, and arm), indices (body-mass index, waist-to-hip ratio and waist-to-height ratio) and skinfold thicknesses (biceps, triceps, subscapula, suprailiaca, thigh and the sum of 5 skinfolds). Participants were recruited from the two selected regions of the Czech Republic (Brno and Znojmo). Linear generalized estimating equations were conducted to analyze tracking patterns over an 8-year follow-up period for all anthropometric measurements.
Tracking coefficients were moderate to strong, ranging from 0.40 to 0.62 for circumferences, 0.41 to 0.74 for indices and 0.72 to 0.86 for skinfolds. According to body-mass index and waist circumference standards, overweight/obese children and children with abdominal obesity at the age of 8 y were 11.31 (95% CI = 8.41 to 15.22, p < 0.001) and 10.73 (95% CI = 7.93 to 14.52, p < 0.001) more likely to remain overweight/obese and to have abdominal obesity at the age of 15 y.
Findings show moderate to strong tracking of anthropometric characteristics, i.e. circumferences track moderately well, while strong tracking for indices and skinfold thicknesses is observed. Moreover, strong tracking of general overweight/obesity and abdominal obesity between ages 8 y and 15 y indicates that the detection of these risk factors at the beginning of primary school should be advocated.
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