Novel comparative analysis and equation development for body volume estimation using dual-energy x-ray absorptiometry in athletes

Authors

• Tiago R. Silva, University of Porto, Porto, Portugal
• Filipe Jesus, University of Lisbon, Cruz-Quebrada, Portugal
• Rui Poínhos, University of Porto, Porto, Portugal
• Luís B. Sardinha, University of Lisbon, Cruz-Quebrada, Portugal
• Vitor Hugo Teixera, University of Porto, Porto, Portugal
• Steven B. Heymsfield, Pennington Biomedical Research Center, Baton Rouge, LA
• Analiza M. Silva, University of Lisbon, Cruz-Quebrada, Portugal

Document Type

Article

Publication Date

3-21-2025

Publication Title

European Journal of Clinical Nutrition

Abstract

Background/objectives Dual-energy x-ray absorptiometry (DXA) has been suggested as an alternative method for estimating body volume (BV), a component of the reference four-compartment body composition model. This study reports the development and validation of DXA-BVSilva, a novel DXA-derived BV equation. An additional aim was to develop an estimate of lean soft tissue density (DLST), a key variable in the theory-based approach, by estimating total body protein with a six-compartment model. Methods A sample of 332 athletes (36.7% females) from several sports were randomly assigned to either the development (n = 232) or cross-validation group (n = 100). DXA-BVSilva was developed via linear regression of DXA-measured fat, lean soft tissue, and bone mineral mass against BV measured with air displacement plethysmography (ADP). A DLST estimate of 1.064 kg/L (SD = 0.006) was obtained from a subset of the development sample comprising 201 athletes (36.3% females) with available measurements of total-body water by deuterium dilution, bone mineral by DXA and BV by ADP, enabling total-body protein determination from a six-compartment model. Results DXA-BVSilva provided the closest BV estimation (mean difference = 0.05 L, SD = 0.46 L; ES [95% CI] = 0.11 [−0.08; 0.31]) and the 95% limits of agreement (−0.86 to 0.96 L) were narrower than existing empirical equations. Conclusion We conducted the first comparative analysis of both empirical and theoretical BV estimation methods using DXA, demonstrating the validity of DXA-BVSilva for BV estimation in athletes, presenting a robust alternative to ADP, with potential applications in multicomponent body composition models.

First Page

740

Last Page

747

DOI

10.1038/s41430-025-01594-1

Rights

© The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer Nature Limited 2025

Recommended Citation

Silva, Tiago R.; Jesus, Filipe; Poínhos, Rui; Sardinha, Luís B.; Teixera, Vitor Hugo; Heymsfield, Steven B.; and Silva, Analiza M., "Novel comparative analysis and equation development for body volume estimation using dual-energy x-ray absorptiometry in athletes" (2025). LSU-LCMC Cancer Center Faculty Publications. 115.
https://digitalscholar.lsuhsc.edu/llcc_facpubs/115
10.1038/s41430-025-01594-1