Ethnic differences in the relationship between bioelectrical impedance and body size.

The present study compared the regression equations of bioelectrical impedance on body size among various groups to investigate potential differences due to ethnicity. Data consisted of 30 Japanese and 28 Caucasoid subjects, and other groups of Aborigines, Danes, Melanesians and Polynesians from literature. The relationship between impedance and body weight fot the groups showed the ethnic difference. In the regression equations for Japanese and Caucasoid, a statistically significant difference was observed between both groups. The regression equation for Japanese was lower in the elevation. This seemed to be attributable to differences in the volume of fat-free mass for the same body build, configuration of the body, and fat-free mass density.