Utility of Bioelectrical Impedance Analysis for Body Composition Assessment / 임상당뇨병

ABSTRACT

People with obesity are at high risk of type 2 diabetes, cardiovascular diseases, and certain types of malignancy. A significant reduction in muscle mass is also associated with increased risk of developing sarcopenia. In general, body composition is affected by several factors, including ethnicity, environment, genetics, and lifestyle patterns. Assessment of body composition is an important tool for maintaining good general health and longevity, and is utilized by physicians and researchers to monitor disease severity and nutritional status. It can also be used to monitor the effectiveness of dietary and drug interventions. Dual energy X-ray absorptiometry is regarded as the gold standard method for analyzing body composition. However, there is an associated risk of a small amount of radiation exposure. In addition, severely obese people are not candidates for this method. Recently, bioelectrical impedance analysis (BIA) has been developed. BIA poses no radiation hazard, is easy applicable and relatively inexpensive. Thus, BIA is widely used in fitness centers as well as in hospitals. Several studies have been conducted to assess the effectiveness of BIA for measuring body composition, but most have focused on subjects of European descent. Of note, body composition differs among ethnic groups Asians have a greater tendency toward obesity at a lower body mass index than Caucasians. Therefore, an ethnicity-specific approach is required for precise estimation of body composition using BIA. In conclusion, healthcare providers should have a thorough understanding of body composition assessment and the advantages and disadvantages of different measurement methods.