The Body Composition Laboratory is used by faculty and students involved in lifestyle, fitness, and wellness research. It houses state-of-the-art research equipment enabling extremely precise measurement of human body composition, including lean body mass, fat mass, and bone mineral content. Both a dual energy x-ray absorptiometry (DEXA) machine and Bod Pod are located in this laboratory.
The DEXA uses two mild x-ray beams to differentiate between muscle, body fat, and bone. Most experts consider DEXA to be the "gold standard" in body composition measurement. DEXA is also the method of choice for the detection of osteoporosis and related bone mineral density problems. Only licensed x-ray radiology technicians can operate the DEXA system. The Bod Pod system is similar to the old hydrostatic weighing method, except air rather than water displacement is used to measure body volume. The Bod Pod does not require a license to operate, and the system produces results that are highly correlated with DEXA findings.