3D Weight Scanner

None — Weighing in on Health

Currently, one of the main methods for measuring body weight is through body mass index (BMI), which takes into account a person's weight for height. A normal BMI for an adult is between 18.5 and 24.9. A person with a BMI of 25 to 29.9 is overweight. A BMI of 30 and higher is defined as obesity, and a BMI of 40 or greater is morbid obesity.

Researchers estimate one-third of U.S. adults are obese (32.2 percent of men and 35.5 percent of women). More than 15 million are considered to be morbidly obese. The excess weight is hard on the body in many ways. Over time, people who are obese are at higher risk for heart disease, stroke, diabetes, high blood pressure, high cholesterol, arthritis and certain kinds of cancer. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimates obesity-related medical costs were as high as $147 billion in 2008.

Body Imaging

While BMI is widely used by many health experts as a measure of weight, it isn't a perfect tool. The CDC reports that since BMI doesn't directly measure body fat, people who are very fit and have higher amounts of muscle mass may be misidentified as being overweight.

A few centers around the country are using a new technique to measure body fat, using a special 3D scanner and a measurement called the body volume index. To do the scan, the patient undresses and steps into a booth. Carol Wolen-Riklin, R.D., Registered Dietitian with the UT Specialty Surgery Center in Bellaire, TX, says the patient stands on two marked spots on the floor and grasps a pair of handles. Once in position, the patient pushes a button on the handle to start the scan. Then, with a series of white light flashes, the cameras take pictures of the body from the neck down. Researchers compare it to a photocopy machine taking an image scan of the body. When the scan is complete, a three-dimensional image of the body is shown on a computer screen. The image shows the circumference of each area of the body, as well as the location and amount of body fat.

Surgeon Brad Snyder, M.D., says the 3D scanner is a good tool for patients who are having weight loss surgery. Sometimes patients are disappointed after surgery because the effects of the weight loss surgery aren't immediately obvious. Snyder performs a 3D scan before surgery, a second scan three months after surgery and another one year after surgery. The scans can be overlaid, showing the patient how much body fat has been lost over time. It's often the psychological boost patients need to maintain their post-surgery diet and lifestyle. Wolen-Riklin adds, if the scan shows a patient isn't losing fat in one particular area as quickly as desired, specific exercises can be devised to target the problem area.

Wolen-Riklin is currently looking at data from the 3D scanners to determine if changes in body volume have any effect on medical problems, like high blood pressure, diabetes and high cholesterol.

For information about the 3D scanner and Body Volume Index, click here.

For general information on obesity:

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute Obesity Action Coalition

WSOC