This means you could lose 36 body fat but bia would show no change. Although the technology is improving its hard to get an accurate body fat measurement from most available commercial body fat analyzers.
Bioelectrical Impedance Analysis Bia Science For Sport
Electric body fat measurement accuracy. The accuracy of this method varies. Often used by fitness professionals calipers are used to literally pinch your skin folds usually around the waist or hips to estimate your body fat. Measurement errors can range from 355 body fat. I have witnessed gross overestimations of body fat in people who have used bia in health clubs. When we asked qardio. Five of the body fat scales read weight accurately but one the qardio qardiobase which happened to be one of the priciest routinely overestimated weight by 6 to 10 pounds.
Results from portable body fat analyzers can vary though. No body fat test be it body fat percentage scales dexa or skinfold calipers can accurately measure how much fat you have. The skill of the person performing the skinfolds can vary impacting the accuracy. Researchers have looked at the accuracy of bia for tracking body fat change over time. Although this method is highly accurate you have to be dead in order for it to happen. In one study the disagreement between bia and the 4 compartment model ranged from 36 to 48 for measuring change.
The flat belly cheat sheet. Most scales also cannot tell you where fat is located on your body. The correlation with dexa is as high as 99 when measuring lean mass if strict guidelines are adhered to. Various types of body fat analyzers also called impedance meters are available to the general public. The use of multiple frequencies in specific bia devices that utilize eight electrodes has been found to have a 94 correlation method with dexa when measuring body fat percentage. While most people will rely on fitness trackers the garmin index smart scale can give some of the most accurate metrics including weight body water body fat bone mass and body mass index bmi.
Even if you get an accurate reading on a bioimpedance scale the number represents an estimate of your total body fat percentage. While the department of kinesiology and health at georgia state university notes that the accuracy of bia can be 3 from the real body fat i find this statement to be overly complimentary of this method. Bioelectrical impedance analysis does not provide an exact measurement of your total body fat. While the nokia body cardios battery life is in its own league our review found garmins battery life of 9 months quite impressive as well. The only way to measure your body fat is to have it stripped out placed on a scale and weighed.
Gallery of Electric Body Fat Measurement Accuracy
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