What is BIA (Bio-impedance Analysis)
Bio-electrical Impedance Analysis or Bio-impedance Analysis 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. A normal balance of body fat is associated with good health and longevity. Excess fat in relation to lean body mass may result in: altered body composition; and, an increased risk for cardiovascular disease, diabetes and other chronic illnesses. BIA allows for early detection of an improper balance in your body composition, which fosters earlier intervention and prevention.
How Does BIA Work?
This non-invasive test simply involves the placement of four electrodes; two on a foot and two on a hand. A low level, imperceptible electrical current is sent through the body. The flow of the current is affected by the amount of water in the body. The device measures how this signal is impeded through different types of tissue. Tissues that contain large amounts of fluid and electrolytes such as blood, have high conductivity; but fat and bone slow the signal down. BIA determines the resistance to flow of the current as it passes through the body. This provides estimates of body water from which body fat is calculated using selected equations.
Alenov Wellness Center
The type of BIA technology used to create the analysis and the software algorithms used to produce the reports are critically important in producing accurate data. Alenov Wellness uses RJL technologies and software, the world leader and originator of many BIA technologies.
Medical grade BIA systems such as RJL produce accurate and repeatable results, unlike simple impedance devices added to workout equipment or electronic weight scales. These cheap systems are often times grossly inaccurate and can create confusing results.
Phase Angle
Phase Angle is a very important indicator of cellular health and energy. It is like the battery indicator on your phone. A phone with 10% battery life is still operating like normal, but it will soon run out of power and quit working. Your phase angle measurement is an indication of how well your cell batteries are charged. The higher your phase angle, the more energy your cells have to heal and recover from illness, stress and physical activity.
Your phase angle can improve over time if you give your cells the means to “re-charge”. Diet, nutrition and stress management are the key to improving and keeping your cells healthy.
Other important data created by the BIA includes:
Body fat measurement
Total body water
Intra-cellular water (body hydration)
Skeletal muscle mass
At Alenov Wellness we help our patients create lasting health through science, nutrition, diet and lifestyle awareness. BIA is “non-diagnostic”, meaning it does not diagnose diseases. What it is very good at is measuring the improvements in your cellular and physical health, which is why we encourage all our patients to utilize our BIA technology regularly.