Abstract.
The assessment of body composition and energy requirements is important for the nutrition of healthy and pathological states such as gastrointestinal disorders, which are known to be associated with abnormalities in body composition among persons with malnutrition and malabsorption. Careful monitoring of body composition is thus recommended for assessing body water compartments, predicting caloric needs and physical performance, and evaluating the development of muscle mass in persons with malabsorption. In the present review we briefly describe the basic body composition models and various techniques used for their assessment and discuss the utility of measuring caloric requirements in persons with gastrointestinal disorders. Assessing body composition may improve the prognosis of malnutrition caused by gastrointestinal disorders and may be useful in monitoring diet treatment.
This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.
Similar content being viewed by others
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
De Lorenzo, A., Maiolo, C., Mohamed, E.I. et al. Assessing body composition in gastrointestinal disorders. Acta Diabetol 40 (Suppl 1), s158–s161 (2003). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00592-003-0053-7
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00592-003-0053-7