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ARS Home » Northeast Area » Beltsville, Maryland (BHNRC) » Beltsville Human Nutrition Research Center » Food Components and Health Laboratory » Research » Publications at this Location » Publication #126588
Title: ACCURACY AND PRECISION OF DUAL-ENERGY X-RAY ABSORPTIOMETRY FOR BODY COMOSITION MEASUREMENTS IN RHESUS MONKEYS

Author
item BLACK, ANGELA - NIH, NIA
item LANE, MARK - NIH, NIA
item Baer, David
item TILMONT, EDWARD - NIH, NIA
item Rumpler, William

Submitted to: International Journal of Medical Primatology
Publication Type: Peer Reviewed Journal
Publication Acceptance Date: 12/26/2000
Publication Date: N/A
Citation: N/A

Interpretive Summary: Measurement of body composition by non invasive methods is a critical component of nutrition research. The validation of non invasive techniques is important. In this study, we validated dual-energy x-ray absorptiometry using appropriate models. There were strong correlations between DXA and bofy fat, lean mass, and lumbar spine bone mineral content. The correlation between DXA and total body bone mineral content was not as strong. In direct measures by DXA of body fat, lean body mass, and lumbar spine BMC were not different from data obtained by direct analyses. These research results will benefit clinicians, researchers and equipment manufacturers who rely on accurate, non invasive measures of body and bone composition.

Technical Abstract: Accuracy of body composition measurements by dual-energy x-ray absorptiometry (DXA) was compared with direct chemical analysis in 10 adult rhesus monkeys. DXA was highly correlated with direct analyses of body fat, lean mass, and lumbar spine bone mineral content (BMC). DXA measurements of total body BMC were not as strongly correlated (r-value = 0.58) with total carcass ash content. DXA measurements of body fat, lean body mass, and lumbar spine BMC were not different from data obtained by direct analyses (p-values greater then 0.30). In contrast, DXA determinations of total BMC averaged 15% less than total carcass ash measurements (p = 0.002). In conclusion, this study confirms the accurate measurement of fat and lean tissue mass by DXA in rhesus monkeys. DXA also accurately measured lumbar spine BMC but underestimated total body BMC as compared to carcass ash determinations.