Impact of 24-Hr Diet and Physical Activity Control on Short-Term Precision Error of Dual-Energy X-Ray Absorptiometry Physique Assessment

Abstract

Dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry (DXA) is a popular technique used to quantify physique in athletic populations. Due to biological variation, DXA precision error (PE) may be higher than desired. Adherence to standardized presentation for testing has shown improvement in consecutive-day PE. However, the impact of short-term diet and physical activity standardization prior to testing has not been explored. This warrants investigation, given the process may reduce variance in total body water and muscle solute, both of which can have high daily flux amongst athletes. Twenty (n = 10 males, n = 10 females) recreationally active individuals (age: 30.7 ± 7.5 years; stature: 176.4 ± 9.1 cm; mass: 74.6 ± 14.3 kg) underwent three DXA scans; two consecutive scans on 1 day, and a third either the day before or after. In addition to adhering to standardized presentation for testing, subjects recorded all food/fluid intake plus activity undertaken in the 24 hr prior to the first DXA scan and replicated this the following 24 hr. International Society of Clinical Densitometry recommended techniques were used to calculate same- and consecutive-day PE. There was no significant difference in PE of whole-body fat mass (479 g vs. 626 g) and lean mass (634 g vs. 734 g) between same- and consecutive-day assessments. Same- and consecutive-day PE of whole-body fat mass and lean mass were less than the smallest effect size of interest. Inclusion of 24-hr standardization of diet and physical activity has the potential to reduce biological error further, but this needs to be verified with follow-up investigation.