Health tip: BIA measurement

BIA measurement

Bioelectrical Impedance Analysis(BIA), unlike scales, breaks down your body weight into different ranges.

Fat tissue
Muscle mass
Body water

"BIA measurement is scientifically recognized, accurate, doesn't hurt and only takes a few minutes!" says our dietician.

An accurate analysis of the body composition

During BIA measurement, the patient lies down on a couch and has electrodes glued to each hand and foot, to which crocodile clips are connected. A small, absolutely imperceptible current then flows through the body.

Since the current is conducted differently depending on the type of trade , different resistances are created and measured.

Example:

Body water - conducts current very well
Fatty tissue - does not conduct electricity well at all

Equally healthy?

The two people in the picture have the same body weight of 104 kg, the same height of 180 cm and therefore also the same Body Mass Index of 32.1 kg/m². Does this mean that they have the same state of health?

The answer is: NO, of course the two do not have the same state of health. Dietician Verena Hut explains: "It's not the kilograms that the scales show that matter, but where the weight comes from: fat tissue or muscle mass. A bodybuilder weighing over 100 kg consists largely of muscle, whereas in an obese/overweight person the fat mass clearly and often seriously predominates." But how can this be differentiated?

The measurement protocol in detail

Our dietician is enthusiastic about the BIA measurement: "A lot can be read from the protocol. I get the current values of the patient and can compare them with the reference values. So how much fat and muscle mass does the patient CURRENTLY HAVE and how much SHOULD he/she HAVE. But the measurement also provides us with numerous other pieces of information about the water balance, the distribution of fat mass or the condition of the cells."

The interpretation

Since the BIA result can be influenced by many factors (hormones, sports, medication, etc.), the interpretation by a competent specialist, such as our dietician, is essential. The BIA measurement has a very special significance for Verena in the success control in the course: "If someone wants to reduce weight healthily and the scale shows however around 2 kg more, I cannot judge whether it concerns really surplus fat mass or nevertheless the high-quality muscle - the BIA measurement shows us that at a glance. The same is true for other nutrition goals, such as muscle gain."

From theory to practice

For almost 3 years now, we have been using the BIA measurement as a complementary tool at our Nuhr Medical Center in the course of nutritional counseling - and with great success. See for yourself with our 4 REAL case studies. You will notice why the BIA measurement is so important to our dietician for monitoring success :