American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, Vol 20, 305-310, Copyright © 1967 by The American Society for Clinical Nutrition, Inc.

Human Body Density and Fat of an Adult Male Population as Measured by Water Displacement

¹ From U. S. Army Medical Research and Nutrition Laboratory, Fitzsimons General Hospital, Denver, Colorado

Body volume was measured on 14 male adults at 7 intervals during a 24-hr period using a water-displacement technique. The variation in body densities fell within the accepted limits of error propagated by the technique. Body densities were also performed on 173 male adults ranging between the ages of 17-69. Values were effectively ranked in terms of age and body fat, demonstrating a continued increase in body fat with an increase in age. These values were independent of body weight.

The human body volumeter is a simple, rapid, and effective device which compares favorably with the underwater weighing technique for estimating body density in large populations. The precision for estimating body fat is ±0.488 kg when the residual lung volume is measured but is reduced to ±1.52 kg when the volume is estimated.