Bioelectrical impedance analysis bia is a relatively simple quick and non invasive technique to measure body composition. How accurate are body fat scales.
Body Fat Measurement Market Size Share Industry Report
Body fat measurement electrical impedance accuracy. Body fat percentage scales use a method known as bioelectrical impedance bia to estimate your body composition. Most research shows that body fat scales arent accurate enough to track changes in body composition over time. Body composition is an important component of an individuals health and fitness profile. Body fat tied to heart risks in normal weight adults from a scientific point of view most devices used for bia will measure the difference in impedance the amount of opposition an. This means you could lose 36 body fat but bia would show no change. The result is based on the idea that thickness of fat under the skin reflects total body fat.
Bia sends a weak electrical impulse through the. Muscle fat bone etc all have varying amounts of water content and as a result they all differ in terms of electrical conductivity. Since the advent of the first commercially available devices. It measures body fat accurately in controlled clinical conditions but its performance in the field is inconsistent. These models are the true gold standard that other methods should be compared to 3. Therefore if a person is more muscular there is a high chance that the person will also have more body water which leads to lower impedance.
In one study the disagreement between bia and the 4 compartment model ranged from 36 to 48 for measuring change. Quantities of fat mass and fat free mass by running a small electrical current through the body. Error rates can be under 1 body fat. This is possible simply because different bodily tissues eg. Body fat scales use bioelectrical impedance analysis bia to estimate the relative percentages of different tissues and substances within the body. Researchers have looked at the accuracy of bia for tracking body fat change over time.
The accuracy of these estimates is more dependent on a persons unique body fat distribution than on the number of sites measured. Most body water is stored in muscle. This is the best method in terms of accuracy. They run a light electrical current through your body measure the degree of resistance or impedance to the flow of the current then use this information to estimate your body fat percentage. Bioelectrical impedance analysis bia is able to make an estimation of body composition eg. Bioelectrical impedance analysis is a commonly used method for estimating body composition in particular body fat and muscle mass.
The purpose of this study was to assess the accuracy of bioelectrical impedance analysis bia in detecting percent body fat bf changes throughout a physical activity intervention in previously sedentary overweight men and women. In bia a weak electric current flows through the body and the voltage is measured in order to calculate impedance of the body.