Overview of research and practice progress in body composition measurement techniques.

Abstract

The measurement of body composition is one of the most important tools for evaluating an individual's health and nutritional status. Its field has developed rapidly in recent years due to technological advances and growing application needs. Currently, widely used measurement methods include dual-energy x-ray absorptiometry (DXA), bioelectrical impedance analysis (BIA), Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI), Computed Tomography (CT), and smartphone software based on Computer Vision (CV) and Artificial Intelligence (AI). Each method has its own advantages in terms of accuracy and convenience. However, these techniques still face problems related to measurement reliability and applicability across different populations. The purpose of this paper is to provide a comprehensive overview of the technologies, target populations, and research fields related to body composition measurement. Body composition measurement is an important part of health management, non-communicable disease management, clinical medicine, and sports and physical training. Along with new scientific advances, this article also presents potential future research directions in body composition measurement.