Body composition in athletes and sports nutrition: an examination of the bioimpedance analysis technique

Abstract

Until a generalised athlete-specific BIA equation developed from a multiple-compartment is published, it is recommended that generalised equations such as those published by Lukaski and Bolonchuk and Lohman be used in athletes. However, BIA equations developed for specific athletes may also produce acceptable values and are still acceptable for use until more research is conducted. The use of a valid BIA equation/device should produce values similar to those of hydrostatic weighing and dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry. However, researchers and practitioners need to understand the individual variability associated with BIA estimations for both single assessments and repeated measurements. Although the BIA method shows promise for estimating body composition in athletes, future research should focus on the development of general athlete-specific equations using a TBW-based three- or four-compartment model.

Lateral Asymmetry in Upper and Lower Limb Bioelectrical Impedance Analysis in Youth Tennis Players

“…Recently, some studies suggested that BIA had acceptable validity for use in predicting the muscle volume of the upper arm (Miyatani et al, 2000), while measurements of body fat percentage had to be interpreted with caution (JenskySquires et al, 2008) and valid BIA devices produced body composition values similar to those collected with hydrostatic weighing and dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry (Moon, 2013).…”

Percentiles of body fat measured by bioelectrical impedance in children and adolescents from Bogotá, Colombia: The FUPRECOL Study.

“…4,5 In this context, body composition and nutritional status should be considered in the clinical setting due to the possibility of detecting n u t r i t i o n a l p r o b l e m s f r o m a n early age. [6][7][8][9][10] To this end, several authors [11][12][13][14][15][16][17][18] have proposed different techniques, such as neutron activation, m a g n e t i c r e s o n a n c e i m a g i n g , densitometry and hydrometry, air displacement plethysmography, isotope dilution methods, dualenergy X-ray absorptiometry (DXA), anthropometry, and bioelectrical impedance analysis (BIA). These methods have gained relevance due to the increasing prevalence of overweight and obesity in early life and their harmful effects on health.…”

Percentiles de grasa corporal por bioimpedancia eléctrica en niños y adolescentes de Bogotá, Colombia: estudio FUPRECOL

“…A la fecha, no se conocen estudios de validación de la balanza de piso bipolar pie-pie con pruebas de referencia, como el DXA, la pletismografía por desplazamiento de aire, o con métodos d e d i l u c i ó n i s o t ó p i c a ; p o r l o t a n t o , l a s verdaderas prevalencias de obesidad por exceso de adiposidad podrían estar sesgadas a las obtenidas con otros métodos. Previamente, ha sido reportada la concordancia entra la BIA bipolar y tetrapolar 14 y, en otros trabajos, se ha comprobado el uso de la BIA bipolar como una herramienta confiable para medir la grasa corporal en sujetos de raza blanca y para ser usada en estudios poblacionales.…”

“…4,5 En este contexto, la composición corporal y el estado nutricional deben ser aspectos para considerar en el ámbito clínico, por la capacidad para detectar problemas nutricionales desde edades tempranas. [6][7][8][9][10] Para ello, varios autores [11][12][13][14][15][16][17][18] han propuesto técnicas, como el análisis de activación neutrónica, la resonancia magnética, la densitometría e hidrometría, la pletismografía por desplazamiento de aire, los métodos de dilución isotópica, la absorciometría dual de rayos X (Dual-energy X-ray Absorptiometry; DXA, por sus siglas en inglés), la antropometría y el análisis de la bioimpedancia eléctrica (BIA). Estos métodos han cobrado gran relevancia debido a la creciente prevalencia de sobrepeso y obesidad en las primeras etapas de la vida y por los efectos adversos sobre la salud.…”