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The Assessment of Human Body Composition during Weight Reduction: Evaluation of a New Model for Clinical Studies¹

Body Composition Unit and Obesity Research Center, Department of Medicine, St. Luke's Hospital Center, Columbia University, New York, New York 10025

Adipose tissue, the logical target component in weight reduction regimens, was measured in five obese subjects during weight reduction, and in four normal weight controls. The two compartment model of Ljunggren, consisting of adipose tissue (AT) and adipose tissue-free mass (AFM), was further developed by finding experimental values for total water, extracellular water (ECW), lipid, and cell solids in 16 biopsied subjects. The AFM was estimated from body potassium content (⁴⁶K counting) by use of an age/sex specific constant for the K content in the fat free body. Five obese subjects maintained for 46 days on regimens averaging 800 kcal/day had initial AT from 48% to 60% of body weight compared with AT 27% to 46% in four normal controls. Weight reductions averaged 17.4 kg (12% of initial weight), with approximately equal reductions in adipose tissue, adipose-free mass, and water. Initial fluid compartment ratios in the obese were unusually high (ECW:ICW in AFM was 0.74 ± 0.23 [S.D.] compared with 0.42 ± 0.05 in normals); these values returned toward normal (to 0.59 ± 0.06) with weight reduction. The fact that it was possible to disclose a hitherto unappreciated abnormality of hydration in the adipose-free mass of obese subjects and its change toward normal with weight reduction, suggests that the adipose:adipose-free model may have a special utility when body composition measurements are used to monitor the effects of weight reduction regimens on various body constituents.

KEY WORDS: • weight reduction • adipose tissue • adipose-free mass • water distribution

¹ Supported in part by grants from the John A. Hartford Foundation and the National Institutes of Health: (Obesity Center AM-17624).

Manuscript received 9 June 1975.