Skip to main content

Thank you for visiting nature.com. You are using a browser version with limited support for CSS. To obtain the best experience, we recommend you use a more up to date browser (or turn off compatibility mode in Internet Explorer). In the meantime, to ensure continued support, we are displaying the site without styles and JavaScript.

  • Original Article
  • Published:

Body composition, energy expenditure and physical activity

The effect of a meal on measures of impedance and percent body fat estimated using contact-electrode bioelectrical impedance technology

European Journal of Clinical Nutrition volume 67, pages 950–955 (2013)Cite this article

Subjects

Abstract

Background/objectives:

To determine the effect of a meal on impedance and percent body fat (%BF) determined using contact-electrode bioelectrical impedance analysis (BIA) technology.

Subjects/methods:

Forty-three adults (23 women and 20 men) volunteered to participate in this study (age=20.5±1.1 years; body mass index=24.1±3.8 kg/m2). Body composition was assessed using three BIA analyzers: leg-to-leg (LBIA), segmental (SBIA) and multi-frequency (MFBIA), on two separate occasions. After a baseline measurement, subjects consumed a meal or received nothing, which served as the control (CON). Subjects were reassessed 20, 40 and 60 min following (POST) the baseline measure in each condition.

Results:

Twenty minutes after eating (3847±900 kJ), body mass (LBIA=0.8 kg, SBIA=0.8 kg, MFBIA=0.7 kg, P<0.05), impedance (LBIA=6.0 Ω, SBIA=17.9 Ω, MFBIA=27.1 Ω, P<0.05) and %BF (LBIA=0.9%, SBIA=1.7%, MFBIA=0.8%, P<0.05) increased significantly and remained elevated at 60 min POST. During the CON trial, a consistent body mass reduction (60–80 g) and impedance increase (4–9 Ω) was observed over time resulting in a small increase in %BF (0.3–0.7%) 60 min POST (P<0.05).

Conclusions:

Twenty minutes after eating, %BF increased due to elevations in impedance and body mass. As such, when precision is critical, we recommend adhering to the pretest fasting guidelines to avoid meal-induced alterations in %BF estimates. In addition, use of a consistent testing schedule may minimize normal %BF variation over time.

This is a preview of subscription content, access via your institution

Access options

Buy this article

  • Purchase on Springer Link
  • Instant access to full article PDF
Buy now

Prices may be subject to local taxes which are calculated during checkout

Figure 1
Figure 2

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  1. National Institutes of Health Technology Assessment Conference (NIHTAC) (1996). Bioelectrial impedance analysis in body composition measurement. Am J Clin Nutr 1996; 64: 524–532.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  2. Nunez C, Gallagher D, Visser M, Pi-Sunyer FX, Wang Z, Heymsfield SB . Bioimpedance analysis: evaluation of leg-to-leg system based on pressure contact foot-pad electrodes. Med Sci Sports Exerc 1997; 29: 524–531.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  3. Lukaski HC . Assessing regional muscle mass with segmental measurements of bioelectrical impedance in obese women during weight loss. Ann NY Acad Sci 2000; 904: 154–158.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  4. Heyward VH, Wagner DR . Applied Body Composition Assessment, 2nd edn. Human Kinetics: Champaign, IL, USA, 2004, pp 87–98.

    Google Scholar 

  5. Roche AF, Heymsfield SB, Lohman TG . Human body composition. Human Kinetics: Champaign, IL, USA, 1996, pp 79–108.

    Google Scholar 

  6. Deurenberg P, Weststrate JA, Paymans I, van der Kooy K . Factors affecting bioelectrical impedance measurement in humans. Eur J Clin Nutr 1988; 42: 1017–1022.

    CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  7. Gomez T, Mole PA, Collins A . Dilution of body fluid electrolytes affects bioelectrical impedance measurements. Sports Med Training Rehab 1993; 4: 291–298.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  8. Kushner RF, Gudivaka R, Schoeller DA . Clinical characteristics influencing bioelectrical impedance analysis measurements. Am J Clin Nutr 1996; 64: 423–427.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  9. Dixon CB, Lovallo SJ, Andreacci JL, Goss FL . The effect of acute fluid consumption on measures of impedance and percent body fat using leg-to-leg bioelectrical impedance analysis. Eur J Clin Nutr 2006; 60: 142–146.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  10. Dixon CB, Ramos L, Fitzgerald E, Reppert D, Andreacci JL . The effect of acute fluid consumption on measures of impedance and percent body fat estimated using segmental bioelectrical impedance analysis. Eur J Clin Nutr 2009; 63: 1115–1122.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  11. Dixon CB, Fitzgerald E, Makuta L, Andreacci JL . The effect of acute fluid consumption on measures of impedance and percent body fat estimated using leg-to-leg and segmental bioelectrical impedance analysis in children. Int J Body Comp Res 2012; 10: 21–28.

    Google Scholar 

  12. Gallagher M, Walker KZ, O’Dea K . The influence of a breakfast meal on the assessment of body composition using bioelectrical impedance. Eur J Clin Nutr 1998; 52: 94–97.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  13. Vilaça KH, Ferriolli E, Lima NK, Paula FJ, Moriquti JC . Effect of fluid and food intake on the body composition evaluation of elderly persons. J Nutr Health Aging 2009; 13: 183–186.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  14. Costill DL, Saltin B . Factors limiting gastric emptying during rest and exercise. J Appl Physiol 1974; 37: 679–683.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  15. Pietrobelli A, Rubiano F, St-Onge M-P, Heymsfield SB . New bioimpedance analysis system: improved phenotyping with whole-body analysis. Eur J Clin Nutr 2004; 58: 1479–1484.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  16. Bland JM, Altman DG . Statistical methods for assessing agreement between two methods of clinical measurement. Lancet 1986; 1: 307–310.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  17. Gomez T, Mole PA, Collins A . Dilution of body fluid electrolytes affects bioelectrical impedance measurements. Sports Med Train Rehabil 1993; 4: 291–298.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  18. Slinde F, Bark A, Jansson J, Rossander-Hulthen L . Bioelectrical impedance variation in healthy subjects during 12 h in the supine position. Clin Nutr 2003; 22: 153–157.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  19. Oshima Y, Shiga T . Within-day variability of whole-body and segmental bioelectrical impedance in a standing position. Eur J Clin Nutr 2006; 60: 938–941.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

Download references

Acknowledgements

We gratefully acknowledge all subjects for their participation in this investigation. This investigation was supported by a Small Campus Research Grant from Lock Haven University.

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Health Science, 165 Willis Health Professions Center, Lock Haven University, Lock Haven, PA, USA

    C B Dixon & B Masteller

  2. Department of Exercise Science, Bloomsburg University, Bloomsburg, PA, USA

    J L Andreacci

Authors
  1. C B Dixon
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. B Masteller
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  3. J L Andreacci
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to C B Dixon.

Ethics declarations

Competing interests

The authors declare no conflict of interest.

Additional information

Contributors: CBD and BM were responsible for study design, data collection and analysis, and writing of the manuscript. JLA was responsible for statistical analysis and assisted in writing of the manuscript.

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Cite this article

Dixon, C., Masteller, B. & Andreacci, J. The effect of a meal on measures of impedance and percent body fat estimated using contact-electrode bioelectrical impedance technology. Eur J Clin Nutr 67, 950–955 (2013). https://doi.org/10.1038/ejcn.2013.118

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Revised:

  • Accepted:

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/ejcn.2013.118

Keywords

This article is cited by

Search

Advanced search

Quick links