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Application of a specific equation to calculate fat-free mass (FFM) in Australian aboriginals

European Journal of Clinical Nutrition volume 69, page 533 (2015)Cite this article

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We read with interest the article of Hughes et al. on the development of a specific equation for calculating fat-free mass (FFM) in Australian aboriginal people and the validation of this equation against the gold standard methods for measuring FFM.

We have been using the Tanita (Tanita model TBF 521, Tanita Corporation, Tokyo, Japan; single frequency, leg to leg) bioelectric impedance assessment (BIA) scales for estimating FFM for the past 16 years in our longitudinal Aboriginal Birth Cohort study.1, 2 The main reasons for choosing these Tanita scales were; ease of use, the robustness in the field and transportability over vast distances that the researchers have to travel to see the study participants.

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References

  1. Sayers S, Singh G, Mackerras D, Lawrance M, Gunthorpe W, Jamieson L et al. Australian Aboriginal Birth Cohort study: follow-up processes at 20 years. BMC Int Health Hum Rights 2009; 9: 23.

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  2. Sayers SM, Mackerras D, Singh G, Bucens I, Flynn K, Reid A . An Australian Aboriginal birth cohort: a unique resource for a life course study of an Indigenous population. A study protocol. BMC Int Health Hum Rights 2003; 3: 1.

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  3. Beeson WL, Batech M, Schultz E, Salto L, Firek A, Deleon M et al. Comparison of body composition by bioelectrical impedance analysis and dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry in Hispanic diabetics. Int J Body Compos Res 2010; 8: 45–50.

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  5. Hughes JT, Maple-Brown LJ, Piers LS, Meerkin J, O'Dea K, Ward LC . Development of a single-frequency bioimpedance prediction equation for fat-free mass in an adult Indigenous Australian population. Eur J Clin Nutr 2015; 69: 28–33.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Division of Child Health, Menzies School of Health Research, Charles Darwin University, Darwin, Northern Territory, Australia,

    G R Singh & S M Sayers

  2. Flinders NT Medical Program, Darwin, Northern Territory, Australia

    G R Singh

Authors
  1. G R Singh
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  2. S M Sayers
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Correspondence to G R Singh.

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Singh, G., Sayers, S. Application of a specific equation to calculate fat-free mass (FFM) in Australian aboriginals. Eur J Clin Nutr 69, 533 (2015). https://doi.org/10.1038/ejcn.2014.294

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