Understanding Body Composition in Older Adults with CKD

For older adults living with chronic kidney disease (CKD), health status is far more complex than what a number on the scale can tell us.

Body weight may remain relatively stable while muscle mass declines, body fat increases, and physical function changes.

That is why research in geriatrics and chronic disease management is increasingly looking beyond weight and BMI toward a more complete understanding of Körperzusammensetzung.

A 2026 study conducted by researchers at the “Iuliu Haţieganu” University of Medicine and Pharmacy and published in Wissenschaftliche Berichte, part of the Springer Nature portfolio, explored this issue in a population of older adults with CKD.

The study included 222 patients aged 70 and older and used a comprehensive geriatric assessment alongside multimodal body composition analysis to examine the relationship between sarcopenia, Fettleibigkeit, sarcopenic obesity, and estimated risks of mortality and disability.

As part of the study, researchers used the Visbody S30 for BIA-based body composition measurement, alongside CT-based assessment of muscle mass.

Die Herausforderung: Two People Can Have the Same Weight but Very Different Bodies

For older adults, BMI alone can leave important information out of the picture.

Two patients may have a similar BMI, yet one may have relatively well-preserved muscle mass while the other has experienced substantial muscle loss alongside a higher level of body fat.

On the scale, they may look similar.

From a body composition perspective, Jedoch, they may represent very different physiological profiles.

This is one reason why sarcopenia has become an increasingly important focus in aging and clinical research.

Rather than relying on a single measurement, the study considered multiple dimensions of physical status, einschließlich Muskelmasse, Körperfett, muscle strength, und körperliche Funktion, and used these measures to classify patients into different body composition phenotypes.

Among the 222 participants included in the analysis:

• 59 had neither sarcopenia nor obesity
• 62 had obesity without sarcopenia
• 74 had sarcopenia without obesity
• 27 had both sarcopenia and obesity

The median age of the study population was 82.15 Jahre.

In a population this old and clinically complex, knowing someone’s weight is only part of the story.

The more meaningful question is:

What is that weight made of—and how is that composition changing?

The Approach: Integrating Visbody S30 into Multimodal Body Composition Assessment

To build a more comprehensive picture of each patient’s physical status, the research team combined several assessment methods.

Der Visbody S30 was used for BIA (Bioelektrische Impedanzanalyse) body composition measurement, with the resulting data used to calculate the appendicular skeletal muscle mass index (ASMI).

Gleichzeitig, researchers used CT imaging to assess skeletal muscle area at the L3 vertebral level, while also incorporating muscle strength and other clinical measures into the analysis.

Mit anderen Worten, Visbody was not intended to replace CT or other clinical assessments.

Stattdessen, it served as one component of a broader clinical research workflow, providing quantitative body composition data that could be considered alongside other established measurements.

This is an important distinction.

The value of Visbody is not that one device needs to replace every clinical assessment.

Rather, digital body composition measurement can become a practical part of an existing research workflow—helping researchers capture quantifiable body composition data and integrate it with other clinical measures.

Der Visbody S30 combines 3D body scanning with BIA-based body composition analysis, providing measurements related to muscle mass, Körperfett, Körperwasser, and other body composition parameters.

Explore the Visbody S30 3D Body Scanner →

Research Findings: Why Muscle Mass May Matter More Than Body Weight Alone

The findings further illustrate why body composition deserves a closer look.

Compared with participants without sarcopenia, those with sarcopenia or sarcopenic obesity had lower grip strength, ASMI, and CT-measured L3 skeletal muscle area, along with poorer measures of physical function.

In the study’s risk analysis, sarcopenia-related phenotypes were associated with higher estimated 10-year mortality risk.

Multivariable analysis further indicated that both sarcopenia and obesity were independently associated with higher estimated mortality risk, mit sarcopenia showing the stronger association.

These findings raise a deceptively simple question:

If all we know is someone’s body weight, how much do we really know about their physical status?

For older adults with CKD, the answer may be: not enough.

3D body scanning and body composition analysis can provide another layer of information—not simply how much a person weighs, but how that weight is distributed between muscle and fat, and how those components may change over time.

From a Single Measurement to Longitudinal Tracking

The value of body composition data in clinical research goes beyond a single measurement.

What matters is how the body changes over time—whether muscle mass declines, body fat increases, or body composition responds to changes in disease, Ernährung, Übung, or intervention.

With standardized Analyse der Körperzusammensetzung, researchers and health professionals can establish a baseline and compare results across follow-up assessments:

Baseline → Intervention → Follow-up → Comparison

From a single measurement to a trajectory of change.

This is an important step in the evolution of Analyse der Körperzusammensetzung toward longitudinal health management and clinical research.

The Takeaway: Körperzusammensetzung messbar machen

In this study of 222 older adults with CKD, researchers used the Visbody S30 for BIA-based body composition measurement, integrating the data with CT, muscle strength, and other clinical measures to investigate body composition phenotypes and estimated health risks.

The significance of this case is not that Visbody replaces existing clinical assessments. Rather, it demonstrates how digital body composition measurement can be integrated into an existing clinical research workflow.

Potential applications include:

• Geriatric research
• CKD research
• Sarcopenia research
• Nutrition management
• Rehabilitation research
• Clinical body composition assessment

For hospitals, research institutions, and health professionals, body composition can become more than a one-time measurement—it can be measured, tracked, compared, and monitored over time.

Making body composition measurable makes long-term changes easier to see.

Scientific Research Disclaimer

Der Wissenschaftliche Berichte study used the Visbody S30 for BIA-based body composition measurement as one component of a broader clinical research protocol.

The study was not an independent validation of the accuracy or diagnostic performance of the Visbody S30, and the reported mortality and disability outcomes were estimated risk scores rather than observed events during prospective follow-up.

The findings should therefore be interpreted as associations, not evidence of causation.

Quelle

Scientific Reports — Sarcopenic obesity and body composition phenotypes in older adults with chronic kidney disease: associations with estimated mortality risk

Series Studies by “Iuliu Haţieganu” University of Medicine and Pharmacy

Studie 1: Visbody S30 unterstützt die Beurteilung von Sarkopenie und Körperzusammensetzung bei älteren Erwachsenen

Studie 2: Von der Körperzusammensetzung bis zum Ernährungsstatus: Forschung der Iuliu Hatieganu University mit Visbody S30

Studie 3: Current Article