Relations among Measures of Body Composition, Age, and Sex in the Common Marmoset Monkey (Callithrix jacchus)

• Published in: Comparative medicine Vol. 51; no. 3; pp. 218 - 223
• Main Authors: Power, Rachel A., Power, Michael L., Layne, Donna G., Jaquish, Cashell E., Oftedal, Olav T., Tardif, Suzette D.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: United States American Association for Laboratory Animal Science 01.06.2001
• Subjects: Adipose Tissue; Adipose Tissue - anatomy & histology; age; Age Factors; anatomy & histology; Animals; anthropometric measurements; Anthropometry; Body Composition; body fat; body measurements; body water; Body Water - physiology; Body Weight; Callithrix; Callithrix - anatomy & histology; Callithrix - physiology; Callithrix jacchus; deuterium; Electric Conductivity; electrical conductivity; Female; isotope labeling; Male; physiology; regression analysis; Sex Characteristics; stable isotopes
• ISSN: 1532-0820

Few studies of body composition have been done in New World primates. In the study reported here, four methods of assessing body composition (body weight, anthropometry, labeled-water dilution, and total body electroconductivity) were compared in 20 marmosets, aged 0.96 to 7.97 years. Males and females did not differ in any measure (P > 0.05). Body weight ranged from 272 to 466 g, and body fat estimates varied from 1.6 to 19.5%. Strong positive correlations were observed between total body water and total body electroconductivity (R2 = 0.77), body weight and fat-free mass (males R2 = 0.95; females R2 = 0.91), and body weight and fat mass (males R2 = 0.86; females R2 = 0.85; P < 0.01). Male and female slopes were equivalent (P > 0.05) for the regressions of fat and fat-free mass against body weight. Positive correlations also were observed between girth measures and fat-free mass (R2 = 0.48 to 0.78) and fat mass (R2 = 0.60 to 0.74; P < 0.01). A good second- order polynomial relationship was observed between age and fat-free mass for the combined sample (R2 = 0.64). Results indicated that: subjects were lean; there was no sexual dimorphism relative to measures; body weight provided a reliable estimate of fat and fat-free mass; and within-subject body weight changes reflected a similar relationship between body weight and fat-free mass as did that across subjects.