Body Composition Assessment Tool Developed for Bone Density Systems

Whole body reference data have been incorporated into dual X-ray absorptiometry (DXA) systems. These body composition values are useful to healthcare professionals in their management of disorders when the disorder itself, or its treatment, can affect the relative amounts of fat and lean tissue.

Hologic, Inc. (Bedford, MA, USA), a developer, manufacturer, and supplier of diagnostics products, medical imaging systems, and surgical products focused on serving the healthcare needs of women, announced that it has received US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) clearance to incorporate the US National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) Whole Body Reference Data into its Discovery dual X-ray absorptiometry (DXA) systems.

The pervasiveness of obesity has reached pandemic proportions. Globally, according to the World Health Organization (Geneva, Switzerland), 1.5 billion adults, 20 years old and older, were overweight in 2008 and 65% of the world's population live in countries where the number of obese and overweight individuals now exceeds the underfed. According to the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) approximately 72.5 million adults in the United States were considered obese in 2007-2008, increasing their risk for coronary heart disease, hypertension, stroke, type 2 diabetes, certain types of cancer, and premature death.

The FDA clearance of the Hologic Advanced Body Composition Assessment package opens up a new market for the Hologic Discovery whole body DXA systems, which up to now, have chiefly been used to measure osteoporosis in women after they reach menopause.

"Body mass measurement on our Discovery systems is another significant milestone for Hologic and our skeletal health business,” said John Jenkins, vice president and general manager of the Hologic Skeletal Health business. "Our new Advanced Body Composition assessment package provides a more detailed and more consistent baseline for measuring body mass changes than bioimpedance testing, hydrostatic weighing, and skin fold thickness. This new indication is a major step forward in helping maintain the quality of life of men and women and, we hope, will become the standard of care for adults and children.”

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