Accuracy of body fat assessment by bioelectrical impedance in Japanese middle-aged and older people

• Published in: Journal of Nutritional Science and Vitaminology Vol. 52; no. 2; pp. 154 - 156
• Main Authors: Mitsui, T.(Nagoya Univ. (Japan)), Shimaoka, K, Tsuzuku, S, Kajioka, T, Sakakibara, H
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Tokyo Center for Academic Publications Japan 01.04.2006
• Subjects: Age Distribution; Aged; Asian Continental Ancestry Group; bioelectrical impedance analysis; Biological and medical sciences; Body Composition; body fat; Body Fat Distribution; BODY MEASUREMENTS; CORPS GRAS; dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry; Electric Impedance; FATS; Feeding. Feeding behavior; Female; Fundamental and applied biological sciences. Psychology; GRASAS; Humans; INSTRUMENT DE MESURE; INSTRUMENTOS DE MEDICION; JAPAN; Japanese middle-aged and older people; JAPON; Male; MEASURING INSTRUMENTS; MEDICION DEL CUERPO; MENSURATION CORPORELLE; Middle Aged; Sensitivity and Specificity; Sex Characteristics; Vertebrates: anatomy and physiology, studies on body, several organs or systems; Japan; dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry; Vertebrata; Mammalia; Dual energy absorptiometry; Japanese middle-aged and older people; Fat; X ray; bioelectrical impedance analysis; Impedance; Japanese; body fat
• ISSN: 0301-4800; 1881-7742; 1881-7742
• DOI: 10.3177/jnsv.52.154

Bioelectrical impedance analysis (BIA) is commonly used to measure the percentage of body fat (%BF), but its accuracy is controversial. In addition, the equations are specific to the group for which they were established. As far as we know, there is no study examining the accuracy of BIA in Japanese middle-aged and older people. We compared %BF assessed using BIA with that of dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry (DEXA) in 102 female and 51 male local residents aged 40 to 78 y. Simple correlation coefficients were 0.79 for females and 0.69 for males, which are statistically significant (p<0.001). However, BIA tended to overestimate %BF in the lower BF group and underestimate it in the BF higher group, and only 45.1% for female and 47.1% for male subjects were measured accurately, i.e., within 10% of the measurement by DEXA. This result suggests that this model of BIA is an alternative for estimating %BF in Japanese middle-aged and older people as well as when subjects are within a normal body fat range, but greater accuracy is needed for lean and overweight subjects.