Skip to main content
ARS Home » Plains Area » Grand Forks, North Dakota » Grand Forks Human Nutrition Research Center » Healthy Body Weight Research » Research » Publications at this Location » Publication #133173
Title: REGIONAL AND WHOLE BODY COMPOSITION AND BIOELECTRICAL IMPEDANCE ANALYSIS (BIA)

Author
item Siders, William
item Lukaski, Henry

Submitted to: North Dakota Academy of Science Proceedings
Publication Type: Abstract Only
Publication Acceptance Date: 4/10/2002
Publication Date: 4/25/2002
Citation: Siders, W.A., Lukaski, H.C. 2002. Regional and whole body composition and bioelectrical impedance analysis (BIA)[abstract]. Proceedings of the North Dakota Academy of Science. 56:63.

Interpretive Summary:

Technical Abstract: This study determined the symmetry of regional (half) body composition and then related any dissymmetry to differences in bioelectrical impedance (Z). Seventy-three volunteers (45 women, 28 men) were measured for whole body Z at 50 kHz and body composition by pencil beam dual x-ray absorptiometry. Z was measured with electrodes placed on the right hand and foot (right side), the left hand and foot, on both hands (upper body), and on both feet. Right and left body were defined by a midsagital plane. Upper and lower body were differentiated with a transverse plane just superior to the crests of the ileum. The volunteers ranged in age from 22-72 yr, body mass index from 18.6 - 35.5 kg/m**2, and percent body fat from 6.7 - 54.5%. The right and left regions of the body in both sexes were nearly equal for bone mineral content (BMC) and total, fat, and fat-free, bone-free weights (FFBF). Upper and lower regions were similar in males, but the fat in the lower body (58.9% of the total) was apparently greater, than the upper, in females. The mean Zs were lower in males than females and lower in both when measurements were from the feet. The highest mean Z was from upper body measurements in females. Males had a higher mean %FFM than females and, among females, the highest mean %FFM was in the upper body and the lowest in the lower body. Z was highly correlated with the whole body and with presenting body region %FFM. When measures were made from the feet, the absolute value of r was higher for Z and lower body (-0.438) than for Z and whole body (-0.355). The opposite was true when measures were from the hands. These findings indicate that the use of right and left hand-foot electrode placements are superior to upper or lower body placement for determining body composition with BIA.