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Bioelectrical phase angle is no adequate biomarker of inflammatory status

International Journal of Obesity volume 46, page 2063 (2022)Cite this article

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In the interesting study by Barrea et al. [1] 260 women with overweight or obesity had completed a very low-calorie ketogenic diet (VLCKD) for 31 days. Before and after this intervention, high-sensitive CRP (hs-CRP), bioelectrical phase angle (PhA) and body weight was measured. Spearman’s rank-order correlation between changes of PhA (ΔPhA) and hs-CRP (Δhs-CRP) revealed a weak, yet significant inverse correlation between both variables (r = −0.254, p < 0.001) which became even weaker after adjustment for age, physical activity and changes in body mass index and waist circumference (r = −0.16, p = 0.024).

Based on these results, the authors proposed that PhA could be used “as an easy-to-use diagnostic tool to detect inflammation instead of blood sampling and expensive biochemical assays” during VLCKDs [1]. Here I will argue that this claim is not justified by the evidence provided and that PhA and its changes are not suited to replace direct measurements of circulating inflammatory biomarkers.

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References

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  1. Department of Radiation Oncology, Leopoldina Hospital, Schweinfurt, Germany

    Rainer J. Klement

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  1. Rainer J. Klement
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Correspondence to Rainer J. Klement.

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Klement, R.J. Bioelectrical phase angle is no adequate biomarker of inflammatory status. Int J Obes 46, 2063 (2022). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41366-022-01181-5

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