Bioelectrical Impedance Vector Analysis (BIVA) for the monitoring of body composition in pregnancy

Background Body mass composition is subject to constant change and is multifactorially determined. Its analysis in different age groups allows a better understanding of the determinants of the human organism in health and disease. Aim The study was aimed to conduct cross-sectional assessment of body composition and selected nutritional indicators in healthy adults. Methods The cross-sectional study carried out from March 2016 to April 2018 was preceded by a monthly pilot study. All 1333 adults (women 795, 59.6%) aged 20–59 included in the study were from the urban and rural area of the Podkarpackie Province (Poland). These adults were classified into four 10-year age bands. To obtain reliable assessment, selected screening (anthropometry) and in-depth (bioelectrical impedance including phase angle and bioelectrical impedance vector analysis) methods were used. Results In women, the proportion of individuals affected by overweight and obesity increases significantly with age, with a less pronounced trend in men, as reflected in the observed differences in individual body composition components. A slight (0.45–0.60) correlation was also observed between body mass index (BMI) and percentage of fat mass (FM %) among men with an increasing strength of the association with age, decreasing in the 50–59 years group. In the female group, the correlations described are at a much higher level (0.80 or higher). The described changes in body composition were reflected in body type from athletic to obese, measured by means of the bioelectrical impedance vector analysis (BIVA) method. Conclusions Age and gender significantly differentiate body composition of the adult human body. The body composition analysis should be considered as complement screening assessment method, especially as a support for the assessment of nutritional status expressed by BMI.

Download Full-text

Applications of Bioelectrical Impedance Vector Analysis (BIVA) in the Study of Body Composition in Athletes

Applied Sciences ◽

10.3390/app11219781 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 11 (21) ◽

pp. 9781

Author(s):

Sandra de la Cruz Marcos ◽

Mª Paz Redondo del Río ◽

Beatriz de Mateo Silleras

Keyword(s):

Body Composition ◽

Cell Mass ◽

Bioelectrical Impedance ◽

Compartment Model ◽

Vector Analysis ◽

Qualitative Assessment ◽

Hydration Status ◽

Bioelectrical Impedance Vector Analysis ◽

Measurement Protocol ◽

Impedance Vector

The study of body composition (BC) allows evaluating nutritional status, optimizing competitive performance, and monitoring the success of training regimens in athletes. Since BC reference techniques are expensive and/or invasive, in practice simpler, less expensive, and safer methods such as anthropometry are often used. The problem is that anthropometry requires a qualified anthropometrist, a rigorous measurement protocol using validated equipment, and a lengthy procedure because of its limited accuracy. Bioimpedance analysis (BIA) is an indirect method for estimating BC in a simple, fast, inexpensive, noninvasive, accurate, and reproducible manner. Despite the limitations of conventional BIA, it is still the most commonly used method for assessing BC in athletes. However, bioelectrical impedance vector analysis (BIVA) allows qualitative assessment of body cell mass (BCM) and hydration status without the need for biological assumptions and without being subject to conventional BIA errors. The purpose of this article was to demonstrate the uses and applications of BIA in the study of the BC and physical characteristics of athletes. For example, several practical cases of athletes from different sports were compared. The results obtained from somatotype studies, conventional BIA, and BIVA were included. BIVA interpretation and somatotype were consistent for all cases analyzed, but BIVA also provided information about hydration and BCM. The application of BIVA in the assessment of athletes can improve BC studies in sports because it is fast, simple, and reliable and neither imposes two-compartment-model limitations on BC estimation nor requires any biological assumptions.

Download Full-text

Ethnic differences in fat and muscle mass and their implication for interpretation of bioelectrical impedance vector analysis

Applied Physiology Nutrition and Metabolism ◽

10.1139/apnm-2018-0276 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 44 (6) ◽

pp. 619-626 ◽

Cited By ~ 8

Author(s):

Björn Jensen ◽

Takashi Moritoyo ◽

Martha Kaufer-Horwitz ◽

Sven Peine ◽

Kristina Norman ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Skeletal Muscle ◽

Body Composition ◽

Muscle Mass ◽

Phase Angle ◽

Ethnic Differences ◽

Bioelectrical Impedance ◽

World Health ◽

Vector Analysis ◽

Bioelectrical Impedance Vector Analysis ◽

Impedance Vector

According to the World Health Organization Expert Consultation, current body mass index (BMI) cut-offs should be retained as an international classification. However, there are ethnic differences in BMI-associated health risks that may be caused by differences in body fat or skeletal muscle mass and these may affect the interpretation of phase angle and bioelectrical impedance vector analysis (BIVA). Therefore, the aim of this study was to compare body composition measured by bioelectrical impedance analysis among 1048 German, 1026 Mexican, and 995 Japanese adults encompassing a wide range of ages and BMIs (18–78 years; BMI, 13.9–44.3 kg/m2). Regression analyses between body composition parameters and BMI were used to predict ethnic-specific reference values at the standard BMI cut-offs of 18.5, 25, and 30 kg/m2. German men and women had a higher fat-free mass per fat mass compared with Mexicans. Normal-weight Japanese were similar to Mexicans but approached the German phenotype with increasing BMI. The skeletal muscle index (SMI, kg/m2) was highest in Germans, whereas in BIVA, the Mexican group had the longest vector, and the Japanese group had the lowest phase angle and the highest extracellular/total body water ratio. Ethnic differences in regional partitioning of fat and muscle mass at the trunk and the extremities contribute to differences in BIVA and phase angle. In conclusion, not only the relationship between BMI and adiposity is ethnic specific; in addition, fat distribution, SMI, and muscle mass distribution vary at the same BMI. These results emphasize the need for ethnic-specific normal values in the diagnosis of obesity and sarcopenia.

Download Full-text