Bod Pod to play key role in nutrition research

A new Bod Pod able to accurately measure body composition, including fat and muscle mass, has the potential to boost research on obesity and athletic performance.  

The space capsule-like pod is part of a new suite of high-tech equipment at Massey University’s new Human Nutrition Research Centre – Te Wahanga Rangahau Kai – in Albany, including a bone density scanner and clinical laboratory. The American-made machine is one of only two machines in the country, the other at Massey Manawatu.

The 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.

Associate Professor  Welma Stonehouse says the Bod Pod is a highly useful analytical tool for research related to obesity, as well as for elite athletes who need to closely monitor muscle and fat ratios.

“The Bod Pod gives a very accurate reading for body composition because it measures weight and volume,” she says.

“Because fat weighs less than muscle, it can be difficult to gain a precise estimate of how much fat an individual is made of and this can lead to false interpretations of what it means to be overweight.”

The unit, officially opened today, has a purpose-built clinical laboratory where researchers can process biological samples and analyse biomarkers found in blood and urine that reveal information about health status. New video conferencing facilities and computers will be used for research interviews and online food questionnaires.

The unit and its expertise will be made available to non-Massey University researchers, including health providers or sports groups. Existing projects underway on campus include the KIWI Study, an investigation into the effects on women’s iron levels of eating vitamin C-rich kiwifruit with iron-fortified breakfast cereal, and the Salmon Study, a research project comparing the omega-3 status of people eating salmon with those taking fish-oil capsules. Dr Stonehouse says staff are also keen to connect with researchers in the food industry, sporting organisations and the public health system.

Professor Philip Calder, Professor of Nutritional Immunology at the University of Southampton, gave a lecture on omega-3 fatty acids and cardiovascular disease – evidence explained and mechanisms explored, prior to the opening ceremony complete with Maori blessing by local kaumatua.

(Source: Massey University: November 2008)