Validation of ‘InBody’ Bioelectrical Impedance by Whole Body MRI

MRI has been shown to be an excellent technique for measuring body fat content, with it's ability to separately quantify specific fat compartments being a real advantage over other techniques. However, it is not suitable for large population studies. Bioelectrical impedance is widely used as a method for assessing body composition, however previous studies have found there is good correlation between fat measurements by MRI and impedance, but agreement was poor (Thomas et al. 1998). The advent of a new generation of impedance systems for measuring body fat content requires that the relationship between the two techniques is reexamined. The aim of this study was to compare body fat content measured by whole body MRI with that measured by the 'InBody' bioelectrical impedance system.