Human Body Composition: Advances in Models and Methods

The field of human body composition research is reaching a mature stage in its development: The three interconnected areas that define body composition research—models and their rules, methodology, and biological effects—are well-defined and are actively investigated by scientists in diverse disciplines from many different nations; and methods are available for measuring all major atomic, molecular, cellular, and tissue-system level body composition components in research, clinical, and epidemiological settings. This review summarizes main body composition research concepts, examines new component-measurement methodologies, and identifies potential areas of future research.