RESENHA REVIEW
Richard A. Boileau
University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
Advances in Body Composition Assessment . Timothy G. Lohman. Champaign, IL: Human Kinetics Publishers, 1992. 150 pp., ils.
(Capa Dura)
ISBN 0-87322-327-6
ISSN 1055-1352
US$ 18.00
This book focuses on issues related to the assessment of body composition. It is the most recent and comprehensive work to appear on this topic and present an analysis of most of the relevant methodologies and technologies for measuring body composition.
The book contains eleven chapters. It begins with an overview of the body composition field by defining terminology and presenting the methodology for validation of new body composition methods. Chapter 2 deals with the fundamental concepts of the two compartment system for estimating fat and fat-free body components. This chapter presents both the controversies and limitations of the two component system and shows how various three- and four- component models overcome the weaknesses of the two component system. Chapter 3 is devoted to an analysis of the use of dual energy radiography for both bone and soft tissue analysis. A comparison of the estimation of body composition from various field and clinical techniques including skinfolds, bioelectric impedance and body mass index is presented in Chapter 4. Chapters 5-10 deal with specific issues of interest in the field including the assessment of fat distribution, the conceptual and practical problems of measuring body composition in children and the elderly, issues related to the tracking of body composition and the practical problems of measuring body composition and establishing safe limits for weight loss in athletes. The last chapter explores new developments in the body composition field ranging from new technologies to new and future uses of body composition applications in healthy and diseased populations. Finally, an important feature of this volume is the extensive list of references included at the end of the book.
This book should have broad appealto those interested in physical anthropology, human biology, medicine, nutrition, public health and exercise and sports sciences. The material is concisely presented with many tables of data included both from the research literature and the author's own extensive work in this area. While the book is not intended to be a comprehensive text covering the entire field of body composition, it would be an excellent supplement to other references for advanced undergraduate and graduate courses as well as for professionals in the fields indicated above.