Measuring body fat has just got easier and a whole lot more sophisticated with the arrival of New Zealand’s first Bod Pod at Massey University.
The space capsule-like pod measures and tracks body fat and lean muscle mass using air displacement technology – replacing the tape measure and callipers or water displacement tanks previously used in research. Dr Jane Coad, Institute of food, Nutrition and Human Health, says the pod uses the same principles as underwater weighing but is much more user-friendly as the subject does not have to be immersed in water.
“The ‘dunk tank’ is very claustrophobic. The pod is much more suitable for children, disabled people and pregnant women. The subject sits in the pod in their togs and the difference in volume of the chamber, before and after the subject gets in, is measured precisely giving an accurate volume of the person. The entire measurement takes about five minutes.”
Dr Coad says once the volume and weight of a person is known, the proportion of fat and lean tissue in their bodies can be calculated, as can the visceral body fat around the abdomen.