Bioelectric impedance analysis and its use for nutritional assessments

The scientific community is always searching for methods that estimate body composition because of the importance of making accurate nutritional status diagnoses of individuals and populations. Bioelectrical impedance analysis Bioelectrical impedance is an attractive alternative for determining body composition because it is noninvasive, portable, easy to handle and has good reproducibility, and therefore, is viable for clinical practice and epidemiological studies. Bioelectrical impedance whose purpose is the determination of body composition, has been pointed out as capable of overcoming some challenges present in other methods that assess nutritional status. Among Bioelectrical impedance components, the use of phase angle in clinical practice has been increasing, since it is used as an indicator of prognosis and nutritional status. This angle detects changes in body composition and cell membrane function, hence, in health status. In Brazil, there is a scarcity of studies on some Bioelectrical impedance applications. In order to contribute to the available literature, this study aimed to draw an overview about the use of this technique and present studies that compare Bioelectrical impedance with other nutritional and body composition assessment methods.