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Body Composition Measurement

What is InBody?

An advanced device that uses small electrical signals referred to as “Bio-electrical Impedance Analysis” or Bioimpedance Analysis (BIA). 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. Research has shown that body composition is directly related to health.

As mentioned above a body composition scan will help identify the persons body fat percentage, the amount of lean tissue (muscle, bone, etc) they have, their basal metabolic rate (BMR), water weight, and will also offer a segmental analysis of their lean tissue so they can see how much lean tissue they have in different segments of their body relative to what is recommended for health.

Quality / Accuracy of an InBody Scan

Bioimpedance is the same technology as the home scales that you can purchase at department stores or on Amazon for less than $100 however, the InBody analyzers technology is far more advanced. It uses 8 points of contact opposed to 2 and the algorithms of the InBody scanner are far more advanced and thus more accurate and consistent from measure to measure. This advanced technology and the increased accuracy is observed in thousands of research papers. *See below.

*To date, thousands of research papers have used InBody to calculate body composition. Research can be found here —> https://inbodyusa.com/studies/

What is the benefit to measuring body composition?

As we age we lose strength and lean tissue. Lean tissue is a combination of muscle, water, bone, ligament, tendon and even organ tissue. These tissues ‘shrink’ as we age and resistance exercise is the best treatment for the loss of lean tissue otherwise known as ‘Sarcopenia’.

Regular body composition measurements will allow individuals to see if they are losing, maintaining or increasing their lean tissue. This is especially important for those who are on a dietary intervention and exercising, and for those who are 50 + years of age.

It is possible, for example, that someone could lose 2lbs of fat and gain 2lbs of lean tissue on an exercise and nutrition plan. If that person jumped on the scale the net change in weight would be zero, but their composition has improved by 4lbs. That is why the scale lies to you and is not a great way to track body composition changes for those who’ve stated that as their goal.

There is a known range of body fat percentage that is deemed healthy. If a person is over-fat or under fat they are at a higher risk for diseases like obesity, diabetes, some cancers, cardiovascular disease and risk for ‘all cause mortality’ (dying from anything).

There is also a recommended amount of lean tissue / muscle weight that a person should carry (based on their weight and height) that is correlated to health, fitness / athletic performance, longevity and quality of life as we age.

You cannot know if you are improving your body composition if you are not measuring it on a regular basis.

How to prepare for an InBody Scan?

In order to ensure an accurate measurement it is recommended to follow these guidelines:

24 hours prior to test, maintain your regular fluid intake
No moderate to vigorous exercise 6 hours prior to scan
Do not consume alcohol 24 hours prior to scan
Do not consume food for 3 hours prior to scan
Do not consume fluids 2 hours prior to scan
Go to the bathroom immediately before scan
It is recommended to stand for 10 minutes prior
No hot showers or sauna 2 hours prior to scan
Not recommended to perform a scan when a female is on their menstrual cycle as it will skew results
*Do not perform scan if you have a pacemaker or medical implant*
If you have other health conditions it is best to check with your physician before scheduling a scan