ABSTRACT
It is common to explain human structure in terms of increasing organizational complexity ranging from atoms and molecules to the anatomical, described as a hierarchy of cell, tissue, organ, system and organism. Body composition can be viewed as a fundamental problem of quantitative anatomy, which may be approached at any organizational level, depending on the nature of the constituents
1.1 AIMS The aims of this chapter are to develop understanding in:
body composition models; • c h e m i c a l v e r s u s a n a t o m i c a l • parti tioning; levels of validity and the underlying • assumptions of a variety of methods; the theory and practice of the best-• known techniques: underwater weighing, plethysmography; dual-energy x-ray absorptiometry, • skinfolds and bioelectric impedance; the importance of body fat distribution • and how it is measured; and sample specificity and the need for • cau tion in applying body composition equations.
