A NEW GAS DILUTION METHOD FOR MEASURING BODY VOLUME

This study was designed to examine the validity of a new gas dilution method (GD) for measuring human body volume and to compare its accurac y with the results obtained by the underwater weighing method (UW). We measured the volume of plastic bottles and 16 subjects (including two females), aged 18-42 years with each method. For the bottles, the vol ume measured by hydrostatic weighing was correlated highly (r = 1.000) with that measured by the new gas dilution method. For the subjects, the body volume determined by the two methods was significantly correl ated (r = 0.998). However, the subject's volume measured by the gas di lution method was significantly larger than that by underwater weighin g method. There was significant correlation (r = 0.806) between GD Vol ume - UW volume and the body mass index (BMI), so that UW volume could be predicted from GD volume and BMI. It can be concluded that the new gas dilution method offers promising possibilities for future researc h in the population who cannot submerge underwater.