Part 2 of the discussion on the InBody 570 covers two of five important studies (and there are more) that help to validate the accuracy and legitimacy of the InBody 570. This technical and may I say, ahem, somewhat boring information is important to discuss as your healthcare providers like to see objective health data. It’s time for the entire healthcare industry to understand and embrace what improvements in body composition can do not only for the individual patient, but also for the healthcare system as a whole. Figure it this way: the more healthy we are, the less disease we will have. This translates to less healthcare costs and this is good for everyone! This blog and the next one serve to help educate not only our patients and those who will want to come to our office to get assessed, but also their healthcare providers who will be viewing these results. Body composition is SO important.
Whether you are on our body modification program (caloric restriction and intermittent fasting…and most all of you should be interested in this to optimize your health) or are an athlete looking to improve your performance and recovery in your respective sport, the 570 is unmatched on the market, it is FDA approved, and it provides data that is vital to your health. This is about your health. It’s time to think of your future and what you should be doing to live longer and healthier!
The first study of interest is from 2004 and the lead author is Shinichi Demura. The study was published in the Journal of Physiological Anthropology and Applied Human Science. The name of this study is Percentage of Total Body Fat as Estimated by Three Automatic Bioelectrical Impedance Analyzers.
Demura et al. set out to assess which form of bioelectrical impedance analyzers (BIA) was most accurate in assessing body fat percentage and the results were compared to the gold standards at the time, Dual-energy x-ray absorptiometry (DEXA) and hydrostatic weighing (HW). Afterall, if electrical impedance could mimic the results of the gold standards, well then, we have another gold standard! Having another option to DEXA is great as DEXA testing is both expensive and exposes the patient to radiation. Hydrostatic weighing has its own issues with accuracy.
This study evaluated 3 types of BIA: one with single frequency and four electrodes, one with a single frequency and eight electrodes, and one that was multi-frequency with eight electrodes. Again, the results were compared with DEXA and HW (the gold standards). The study found that the multi-frequency eight electrode unit obtained the most accurate results (think InBody 570). This might sound obvious but this is why studies are conducted. Even though two of the machines utilized eight electrodes, only one used multiple frequencies and this makes all the difference. Multiple frequencies allow for better assessments of intra (ICW) and extracellular water (ECW) and these measurements are vital to the accuracy of body composition assessment. On this topic, low frequency electrical current only goes through ICW while higher frequencies go through both. The study concluded that total body fat percentage is most accurately estimated by measuring segmental impedances (eight in this example) along with multiple frequencies. This is how the InBody 570 works!
The second study we’ll look at is by Sartorio et al. The name of the study is Body Water Distribution in Severe Obesity and its Assessment from Eight-polar Bioelectrical Impedance Analysis. This study was published in the European Journal of Clinical Nutrition in 2005.
The aim of this study was to assess if Total Body Weight (TBW) and Extracellular water (ECW) in obese women could be accurately assessed with an eight electrode and multi-frequency Bioelectrical Impedance Analyzer (BIA). It compared Class I and II obesity (BMI 30-34.9 and 35-39.9 respectively) to Class III (BMI > 40.00). One quick note: remember that we are supposed to have a BMI of under 25! With this study, when people have higher ECW, can this be accurately calculated with BIA? The results were compared to 2H20 and Br dilution. 2H2o dilution is used to assess TBW and Br (Bromide) dilution is used to assess ECW. These two methods are the gold standard. (However, drinking solutions and conducting blood work is not as desireable as getting a simple BIA test.)
The results showed that the eight electrode BIA was accurate for estimates of TBW and ECW in women with all three classes of obesity.
These two studies highlight two important concepts: 1. Eight electrode multi-frequency BIA (think InBody 570) can be used to assess body fat. 2. Eight electrode multi-frequency BIA can be used to accurately assess TBW and ECW in the case of obesity (one thing to point out is that those that are not obese are not going to have high ECW levels in the first place as most of the water is going to be intracellular, unless the person is very inflamed).
We have to remember that high ECW levels will refer to obesity and/or inflammation in the body. Ideally, 2/3 of the water should be IN our cells while only 1/3 outside the cells. If we have too much ECW, we MUST work to correct this or our risk of disease processes of all sorts is significantly increased.
Our next blog will cover three more studies and we’ll be done covering the scientific side of why the InBody 570 is so darn important in helping us assess our body composition to be healthy. Remember that we can get you looking and feeling better but it’s always nice to have the science to back up what we do!
