InBody Body Composition Analyzer

At the Canadian Sport for Life National Summit in Gatineau-Ottawa, Canada, the staff at SIRC got to meet some very friendly and knowledgeable people and we learned a few new things as well. One of the interesting experiences we had was trying out InBody's body composition analyzer.

This machine measures body composition using Bioelectrical Impedance Analysis (BIA) to give you a fast, non-invasive and accurate reading of your lean body mass, body fat and body water. The machine passes a low level electrical current through a person's body at touch points in the hands and feet.  The current passes through the muscle, fat and water at different rates making it possible to get an accurate reading of a participants body composition. The whole process takes about a minute and the machine gives you a detailed printout of each measurement and the recommendations for areas of improvement. 

The InBody machine will also measure your Basal Metabolic Rate to help you gauge the amount of calories you should be consuming on a daily basis for optimal health.  Based on your results, the InBody will make its suggestions for how much muscle and fat you should gain or lose in order for you to achieve your ideal body composition.

This type of read out can be a useful tool in knowing what your body is comprised of, whereas stepping on the scale or measuring your body mass index (BMI) gives you somewhat limited data to work with. Having a permanent record of where you started and measuring it periodically over time, every three months for example, a person can easily track the progress they've made in their health and fitness levels.

Paul McDonald, a representative for Jedco Marketing, was very helpful in explaining the printout and how the machine worked.  It was explained that the results could be very useful in forming a guide for creating a personalized plan for those new to exercise, as well as a great option for athletes looking for an accurate reading in order to target specific areas for improvement. 

References from the SIRC Collection:

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2. Ji-Guang W, Yi Z, Biao L, et al. COMPARISON OF TWO BIOELECTRICAL IMPEDANCE ANALYSIS DEVICES WITH DUAL ENERGY X-RAY ABSORPTIOMETRY AND MAGNETIC RESONANCE IMAGING IN THE ESTIMATION OF BODY COMPOSITION. Journal Of Strength & Conditioning Research (Lippincott Williams & Wilkins). January 2013;27(1):236-243.
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5. Separately Assess Body Weight, Body Fat, and BMI. Running & Fitnews. March 2011;29(2):3-8.
6. Stahn A, Terblanche E, Strobel G. Modeling upper and lower limb muscle volume by bioelectrical impedance analysis. Journal Of Applied Physiology. October 2007;103(4):1428-1435.