Comparisons of body fat estimated from total body water and skinfold thicknesses of undernourished men

Abstract

In 49 chronically undernourished adult males, classified as having mild, intermediate, or severe nutritional compromise, comparisons were made of body fat calculated from total body water with values obtained from triceps and scapular skinfolds. These same comparisons were followed in 19 of the severely undernourished subjects during a 2½-month period of dietary repletion. Results indicate that the correlations between fat estimates obtained from body water and skinfolds are good (r > 0.8) in mildly undernourished subjects, but that they are progressively reduced as the nutritional compromise becomes more severe until statistical significance disappears. Dietary repletion of 2½-month duration did not restore a statistically significant relationship between fat and triceps and scapular skinfolds. These data imply that the triceps and scapular skinfolds do not adequately represent body fat in chronically undernourished adult males and that new empirical equations are required which take into account nutritional status and possible shifts in fat deposit sites in chronic undernutrition.