Futrex 5000-a Over-estimates Body Fat in Young Indians of Different Body Mass Index

There is a need for the development of databases and standards of body composition in humans based on actual measurements, particularly the body fat rather than depending on some surrogate measures. This is because, the validity of body mass index as an indicator of body fat in cardiovascular risks and other conditions is recently challenged. Therefore, the present study was designed in an attempt to create a data base for the young Indian subjects. The body composition was assessed in 216 young male and female college students, aged between 18 and 22 years, using Futrex 5000-A, an electronic, computerized body composition and fitness analyzer. The subjects were divided into normal, underweight and overweight subjects based on their body mass index. The results obtained showed that the body fat estimated (13% to 25% in males and 26% to 35% in females) was slightly higher in all groups as compared to 11-16% (males) and 20-26% (females) of some previous reports using other methods from India. Fat distribution was higher in the thigh region than in the abdomen or gluteal areas. A little over 4% of the male and 10% of the female subjects were overweight while 21% of the male and 25% of the females were undernourished despite the students were from well-to-do families. Lean body mass varied inversely with body fat ranging from 75% to 87% in different BMI groups. Total body water was well within the normal limits.