Comparison between Dual-Energy X-ray Absorptiometry and Bioelectrical Impedance Analyses for Accuracy in Measuring Whole Body Muscle Mass and Appendicular Skeletal Muscle Mass

• Main Authors: Seo Young Lee, Soyeon Ahn, Young Ji Kim, Myoung Jin Ji, Kyoung Min Kim, Sung Hee Choi, Hak Chul Jang, Soo Lim
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Published: MDPI AG 2018-06-01
• Series: Nutrients
• Subjects: bioelectrical impedance analysis; dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry; muscle mass
• Online Access: http://www.mdpi.com/2072-6643/10/6/738

We evaluate the accuracy of whole body muscle mass (WBMM) and appendicular skeletal muscle mass (ASMM) assessed by bioelectrical impedance analysis (BIA) using an InBody770 machine (InBody, Seoul, Korea) referenced to dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry (DXA) in 507 people (mean age 63.7 ± 10.8 years, body mass index (BMI) 25.2 ± 3.5 kg/m2). Mean WBMMs measured by BIA and DXA were 49.3 ± 6.6 kg and 46.8 ± 6.5 kg in men and 36.1 ± 4.7 kg and 34.0 ± 4.8 kg in women, respectively. The respective effect sizes and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) for the difference were 2.49 (2.22–2.76) for men, and 2.12 (1.91–2.33) for women. Mean ASMMs measured by BIA and DXA were 22.1 ± 3.3 kg and 19.9 ± 3.2 kg in men, and 15.3 ± 2.5 kg and 13.5 ± 2.2 kg in women, respectively. The respective effect sizes and 95% CIs for the difference were 2.26 (2.10–2.41) for men and 1.75 (1.65–1.87) for women. The BIA clearly overestimated WBMM by 2.28 kg and ASMM by 1.97 kg compared with DXA. Using BMI, gender, and fat percentage, we derive equations that improved the residuals to <2 kg between methods from 38.29% to 85.91% for WBMM and 52.78% to 97.02% for ASMM.