Research

Measurement of body composition is an important part of any assessment of health or fitness. Hydrostatic weighing is generally accepted as the most reliable method for the measurement of body fat content, but is inconvenient. Electrical impedance analysers have recently been proposed as an alternative to the measurement of skinfold thickness. Both these latter methods are convenient, but give values based on estimates obtained from population studies. This study compared values of body fat content obtained by hydrostatic weighing, skinfold thickness measurement and electrical impedance on 50 (28 women, 22 men) healthy volunteers

Our purpose was to evaluate accuracy of multifrequency bioelectrical impedance analysis (MFBIA) using air displacement plethysmography (ADP) as the criterion measure. Body composition of 27 women was assessed by ADP followed immediately by MFBIA.

The study aimed to establish the effects of age, gender and age-gender interactions on BMI-% fat relationships over a wide range of BMI and age. It also aimed to examine controversies regarding linear or curvilinear BMI-% fat relationships.

It has been proven that low and high body mass index (BMI) values increase health risks and mortality, and are associated with variations in fat-free mass (FFM) and body fat mass (BF). Fat-free mass index (FFMI; kg/m²) and body fat mass index (BFMI; kg/m²) however are better measures of body composition. FFMI and BFMI being age-, sex- and population-specific, are more exact and informative measures. The purpose of this pilot study was to determine FFMI and BFMI values in subjects with normal, overweight, and obese BMI in Austria.

This study was undertaken to assess the comparability of body water compartment estimates in healthy volunteers using single and dual frequency BIA with established reference methods of tritium and NaBr dilution.

Measurements of plasma volume with ¹²⁵I human serum albumin, extracellular water (ECW) with ⁸²Br^-, and total body water (TBW) with ³H₂0 were made on 16 postoperative patients, 15 depleted patients, and three control subjects.

Chronically ventilated patients have nutritional modifications during their hospital stay. These parameters may influence the weaning from the ventilator process. Bio impedance technique could assess in a repetitive way the body composition of these patients and their ability to be weaned.

Bioimpedance (Ω) analysis (BIA) provides a potential measure of body water (1). BIA may predict decompensation in systolic heart failure (2). We tested the utility of BIA in assessing the acute response to intravenous furosemide (ivF) in pulmonary oedema.

The ability of bedside multifrequency bioelectrical impedance analysis to monitor fluid disturbance and predict patients at risk of developing oedema after major surgery was assessed.

Critically ill patients retain fluid, up to 30 litres and more. In individuals ill for prolonged periods it is virtually impossible to assess fluid balance accurately, but as a non-invasive method of doing so bioimpedance has its obvious attractions. We have previously described the use of single frequency (50kHz) impedance to assess body water in these individuals but the interindividual errors were too large to be acceptable (Foley et al. 1998). The correlation ® between conductace (height²/impedance) at multiple frequencies (5-500 kHz; Multiscan 5000, Bodystat Ltd, Douglas, Isle of Man) and body water (measured using deuterium analysed by Continuous Flow Isotope Ratio Mass Spectrometry following equilibration with H2) was investigated in ten critically ill patients; in three patients multiple measurements were made, in two on four occasions and in one on six.