Bioimpedance Analysis (BIA)
assess your body composition
Bioelectrical Impedance Analysis or Bioimpedance Analysis (BIA) is a method of assessing your “body composition” – the measurement of body fat in relation to lean body mass. It is an integral part of a health and nutrition assessment. Achieve Health Maumee offers Bioimpedance Analysis services in Maumee, Ohio.
Bioimpedance Analysis (BIA) Defined
BIA’s provide fast, accurate readings of overall body composition, including:
- Fat
- Fat Free Mass
- Total Body Water
- Lean Dry Mass
- BMR (Basal Metabolic Rate)
- DEE (Daily Energy Expenditure)
- BMI (Basal Metabolic Index)
- Phase angle
The RJL Bioelectrical Impedance Analysis or (BIA) is a method of assessing your “body composition” – the measurement of body fat in relation to lean body mass. It is an integral part of a health and nutrition assessment. This device is used by the Mayo Clinic, Cleveland Clinic, the National Institutes of Health and many more universities and researchers around the world. This testing is often used as an objective test to track weight loss and muscle gain progress.
Why is Body Composition Important to My Health?
Research has shown that body composition is directly related to health. A normal balance of fat is associated with good health and longevity. Excess fat in relation to lean body mass, altered body composition, can greatly increase your risk to cardiovascular disease, diabetes and more.
Since fat loss is the goal when people set out to lose weight, and muscle gain is the goal when people set out to gain weight, I monitor body composition changes (fat vs. lean fat – fat free weight) rather than monitor people with weekly weigh-ins. In my experience most health conscious people are usually very happy to learn of their progress when viewing BIA results.
About
A BIA is another method for measuring body composition. It works by measuring the way the body conducts electricity. The BIA machine generates a current which passes through the body by way of electrodes situated on the hands and feet. Two functions are measured – the body’s resistance to the current, and the body’s reactance to it. The greater the amount of water and fluids in the subject, the easier it is for the current to get from the hand to the foot (lower resistance to the current). The lesser the water and fluid, the harder it is for the current to travel (higher resistance). Conductivity through blood and urine is high, that of muscle is intermediate, and that of bone, fat or air is low. Reactance measures how well a cell membrane can hold a charge. A healthy cell membrane can hold a charge better than a diseased membrane. The more healthy cells a person has, the higher the reactance. Following the BIA measurement, the participant’s resistance, reactance, height, weight, and gender are entered into mathematical equations and values of water, lean, and fat tissue are estimated.
The report from a completed BIA provides information of:
- Lean muscle mass in weight and percent
- Fat mass in weight and percent
- Basal Metabolic Rate (BMR), amount of calories the body uses for basic body metabolism at rest.
- Basal Metabolic Index (BMI), height to weight ratio, indicator of diabetes, high blood pressure, high cholesterol, obesity and other health risk factors
- Cell membrane permeability, osmotic pressure, inside vs. outside the cell
- Total body water, an indicator of inflammation, measured in pounds of excess body weight in liquid
- Phase angle, a representation of biological age vs. physiological age
Exercise, dietary and lifestyle changes are recommended in an effort to restore health and longevity to the patient.
RJL Quantum Body Composition Analysis (BIA)
Why weight is not enough…
It’s just not enough to know how much you weigh. Your doctor needs to know what makes up that weight to get you to your goals. For example, let’s say 3 different people each need to lose 20 pounds. The first person has 20 pounds of extra water retention, the second person has 20 pounds of extra body fat, and the third person has to lose a combination of 20 pounds of extra water retention and fat. Knowing the whole story helps each person know what to do next…for truly personalized and effective wellness strategies. By offering RJL Quantum Body Composition Analysis, your doctor can see ‘what you’re really made of’, helping to design the best strategy for you.
How Does a BIA Work?
BIA is much more sophisticated than your bathroom scale, but just as painless – and almost as quick. BIA is a simple procedure that can be performed right in our office in a matter of minutes with the help of a sophisticated, computerized analysis.
This analyzer “calculates” your tissue and fluid compartments – using an imperceptible electrical current passed through pads placed on one hand and foot as you lie comfortably clothed on an exam table. In just minutes, we’ll have very accurate measurements to help create an effective, personalized program to improve your health status.
What do Biomarkers Tell You About Your Health?
Biomarkers are parameters that measure an aspect of your health. They enable the doctor to measure your:
- Energy Levels
- Toxicity
- Inflammation
- Hydration Levels
- Cellular Function and Health
- Biological Age
- Fat Mass
- Muscle Mass
Most importantly, it enables us to measure your response to our treatment. No other test provides all of this information so quickly and easily.
FirstLine Therapy (FLT) is a comprehensive TLC program that will provide the patient with the knowledge they need to make healthy lifestyle choices each day going forward. Helping the patients adopt a therapeutic lifestyle is the first and arguably the most important therapy doctors can use to treat many chronic health problems.
Leading health organization snow recommend First Line Therapy for treating and reducing the risk of common conditions such as:
- Weight Gain
- High Cholesterol
- High Blood Sugar
- High Blood Pressure
- Fatigue
- Inflammation/Chronic Pain
- Hormonal Imbalance
- Bone Loss
- Premature Aging
- Low Sex Drive
- High Stress
- Poor Memory
First Line Therapy is tailored to your specific needs and is based on the world-famous Mediterranean diet in conjunction with potent nutritional supplements from Metagenics. This system includes body composition analysis, tracking of important biomarkers, and lifestyle management coaching. With 12 weeks of coaching, you’ll get the support and information you need to achieve your immediate health goals and create the momentum to maintain long-term health.