Paul Deurenberg is a Dutch retired academic, nutritional biochemist and consultant. He was a former associate professor in the Department of Human Nutrition at Wageningen University (WU), and is most known for his research expertise in the areas of energy metabolism, food consumption, and body composition studies.
Education
Deurenberg obtained a Bachelor of Science degree in chemistry from the Rheinisch Westfalische Technische Hochschule in Aachen, Germany in 1969. He then received a Master of Science degree in Chemistry and Biochemistry from the same institution in 1971, followed by a PhD in chemistry in 1973. He completed a post-doctoral course in Nutrition in Maastricht, the Netherlands in 1979, and a Summer Course in Epidemiology and Biostatistics at the New England Epidemiological Institute in Amherst, Massachusetts, United States in 1981.
Career
Deurenberg started as a lecturer in biochemistry and nutrition at the School for Dieticians in Heerlen, the Netherlands, where he worked from 1969 to 1980. During this period, he served as a Senior Lecturer at the same institution from 1975 to 1980. In 1980, he was appointed as an associate professor at the Department of Human Nutrition at Wageningen University (WU), and held that appointment till 2002.
Research
Deurenberg's research integrates the fields of biochemistry, physiology and nutritional epidemiology with a particular focus on the areas of energy metabolism, body composition, and food consumption, resulting in more than 450 journal papers as author or co-author.
Body composition
Deurenberg has researched body composition with a primary interest in body fat and its distribution, as well as body water and its distribution. He has conducted body composition studies across all age groups, from childhood to the elderly, and in various settings such as epidemiological studies, laboratory studies, and medical settings. In one of his highly cited papers, he examined the application of bioelectrical impedance analysis (BIA), and explored its underlying principles and methods. The study also presented validated equations and underscored the need for standardized methods and quality control procedures, as their absence poses a challenge to the use of BIA among both healthy individuals and patients. Addressing the use of BIA in clinical practice, his joint studies determined that although bioelectrical impedance analysis (BIA) is effective in healthy individuals and those with chronic diseases when using an age-, sex-, and race-appropriate equation, it is not recommended for routine patient assessment in those with abnormal hydration or extreme body mass index (BMI) ranges.
In his work inspired by Durnin and Womersley's paper, Deurenberg created formulas that assessed body fat percentage (BF%) using BMI measurements. It was established that BMI has limitations in assessing body fatness due to differences in body composition between genders, age-related differences, and varying correlations between BMI and body fat percentage across ethnic groups. He also collaborated with University of Glasgow researchers to develop new equations using stepwise-multiple-regression analysis to predict body composition through densitometry using simple anthropometric measurements. Following this research, he highlighted a need for population-specific BMI cut-off points for obesity prevention and management due to the variations in the relationship between percent body fat and BMI across different ethnic groups. Directing his research efforts further on evaluating the ethnic differences in body composition, he noted that there are significant differences between Asians and Caucasians in their BMI and BF% relationship and also among the three major ethnic groups in Singapore, as well as differences among different Asian ethnicities, In related research, he found significant differences in BF% measured by different methods, with hydrometry identified as the best suited single method, and observed differences among Singaporean Chinese, Malays and Indians due to differences in composition of FFM. He also emphasized that ethnicity-specific factors should be considered when assessing health risks associated with weight status. Another focus of his research was exploring the constancy of fat-free body mass hydration where he analyzed in vitro and in vivo data supporting the hydration constancy hypothesis and critiqued applied methodology.