Comparison of four quick and reliable methods of assessing body fat appropriate for clinical settings among young, middle-age, and older healthy male and female adults.

The study only included healthy Caucasian adults with normal or overweight BMI. Results may not apply to other ethnicities or individuals with obesity, where the accuracy of these methods is known to decrease. The bioelectrical impedance device (InBody 770) was used as the reference standard. While it is considered accurate, it is not the gold standard (which would be multi-compartment models like DEXA or hydrodensitometry), so all comparisons are relative to this single device. Participants were instructed to fast and avoid exercise before testing. Real-world clinical measurements are often taken without these strict controls, which could affect accuracy. The study did not assess visceral fat directly, only total body fat percentage and anthropometric proxies like waist circumference.

The authors declared no conflicts of interest.

Do not assume that one of these quick methods is universally accurate. The study found that the best method depends on the patient's age and sex: circumference was best for men, skinfold for younger/middle-aged women, and BMI for older women. Using the wrong method for a specific demographic can lead to significant over- or under-estimation of body fat.