Body Water Content and Morphological Characteristics Modify Bioimpedance Vector Patterns in Volleyball, Soccer, and Rugby Players

Abstract

Background: Bioimpedance vector analysis (BIVA) is a widely used method based on the interpretation of raw bioimpedance parameters to evaluate body composition and cellular health in athletes. However, several variables contribute to influencing BIVA patterns by militating against an optimal interpretation of the data. This study aims to explore the association of morphological characteristics with bioelectrical properties in volleyball, soccer, and rugby players. Methods: 164 athletes belonging to professional teams (age 26.2 ± 4.4 yrs; body mass index (BMI) 25.4 ± 2.4 kg/m2) underwent bioimpedance and anthropometric measurements. Bioelectric resistance (R) and reactance (Xc) were standardized for the athlete’s height and used to plot the vector in the R-Xc graph according to the BIVA approach. Total body water (TBW), phase angle (PhA), and somatotype were determined from bioelectrical and anthropometric data. Results: No significant difference (p > 0.05) for age and for age at the start of competition among the athletes was found. Athletes divided into groups of TBW limited by quartiles showed significant differences in the mean vector position in the R-Xc graph (p < 0.001), where a higher content of body fluids resulted in a shorter vector and lower positioning in the graph. Furthermore, six categories of somatotypes were identified, and the results of bivariate and partial correlation analysis highlighted a direct association between PhA and mesomorphy (r = 0.401, p < 0.001) while showing an inverse correlation with ectomorphy (r = −0.416, p < 0.001), even adjusted for age. On the contrary, no association was observed between PhA and endomorphy (r = 0.100, p = 0.471). Conclusions: Body fluid content affects the vector length in the R-Xc graph. In addition, the lateral displacement of the vector, which determines the PhA, can be modified by the morphological characteristics of the athlete. In particular, higher PhA values are observed in subjects with a high mesomorphic component, whereas lower values are found when ectomorphy is dominant.

Gender Differences in Physical Fitness Characteristics in Professional Padel Players

“…It seems that the energy requirements of padel are closer to those reported previously for tennis [30]. Currently, Campa et al [31] developed a cross-sectional observational study on 1556 athletes, sorted into three groups: endurance, velocity-power, and team sports, obtaining similar results to ours for the velocity-power group, which included tennis.…”

The Effect of a Mixed Circuit of Aerobic and Resistance Training on Body Composition in Older Adults—Retrospective Study

“…However, in recent years, the bioimpedance vector analysis (BIVA) has been increasingly used for the assessment of body composition. BIVA is considered to be free from errors associated with prediction equations as it interprets the raw bioimpedance value resistance (R) and reactance (Xc) [ 58 ].…”

A New Strategy to Integrate Heath–Carter Somatotype Assessment with Bioelectrical Impedance Analysis in Elite Soccer Players

“…This indicates that the soccer player of the new millennium is an athlete who has both a high muscle mass and important physical dimensions. In addition, some studies have reported that roles such as external defender and midfielders [19], which have to cover greater distances during the match, may have a greater ectomorphic component than the mesomorphic one. In fact, better endurance characteristics can be found in ectomorphic athletes, such as runners [10].…”

“…For this reason, BIA is often used in the body composition assessment of athletes, especially soccer players [16][17][18]. Recently, it has been demonstrated that bioelectric properties are able to discriminate the different somatotype categories in athletes, given the predictive role of their raw measurements with muscle mass and body fluids distribution, which vary according to the absolute FM and FFM content [8,19,20].…”