Comparison of Body Composition Estimates among Norland Elite®, Lunar iDXA®, and the BodPod® in Overweight to Obese Adults

ABSTRACT

Accurate body composition assessment, which includes fat mass (adipose tissue mass, FM), fat-free mass (FFM), and percent fat mass (%FM) is needed to evaluate health and treatment efficacy. The current study compared body composition estimates obtained from the Norland Elite® DXA, BodPod®, and iDXA® before and after a12-week exercise intervention in adults (n=30, BMI 25–35 kg/m²) . Bland-Altman methods determined mean bias and limits of agreement for FM, %FM, and FFM between methods. Compared to the iDXA® and BodPod®, Elite® overestimated BF% and FM (P < .01). FFM was similar between iDXA® and Elite® but lower in Elite® than BodPod® (P < .01). There were no differences between methods in changes in FM or FFM after the exercise intervention. Prior to this study, it was unknown how the Norland Elite®, a DXA model marketed to bariatric surgery patients, compared to other common body composition assessment methodologies..

KEYWORDS:

• DXA
• body composition
• BodPod®
• Norland Elite®
• iDXA®

Acknowledgments

The authors would like to thank the University of Kentucky’s Department of Dietetics and Human Nutrition for internally funding this study and all the students and research assistants who aided in the completion of the study.

Conflict of Interest

The authors declare no conflicts of interest.

Data Availability

The data that support the findings of the study are openly available in figshare at https://doi.10.6084/m9.figshare.8194331.v1