Reference Percentiles for Bioelectrical Phase Angle in Athletes

Abstract

The present study aimed to develop reference values for bioelectrical phase angle in male and female athletes from different sports. Overall, 2224 subjects participated in this study [1658 males (age 26.2 ± 8.9 y) and 566 females (age 26.9 ± 6.6 y)]. Participants were categorized by their sport discipline and sorted into three different sport modalities: endurance, velocity/power, and team sports. Phase angle was directly measured using a foot-to-hand bioimpedance technology at a 50 kHz frequency during the in-season period. Reference percentiles (5th, 15th, 50th, 85th, and 95th) were calculated and stratified by sex, sport discipline and modality using an empirical Bayesian analysis. This method allows for the sharing of information between different groups, creating reference percentiles, even for sports disciplines with few observations. Phase angle differed (men: p < 0.001; women: p = 0.003) among the three sport modalities, where endurance athletes showed a lower value than the other groups (men: vs. velocity/power: p = 0.010, 95% CI = −0.43 to −0.04; vs. team sports: p < 0.001, 95% CI = −0.48 to −0.02; women: vs. velocity/power: p = 0.002, 95% CI = −0.59 to −0.10; vs. team sports: p = 0.015, 95% CI = −0.52 to −0.04). Male athletes showed a higher phase angle than female athletes within each sport modality (endurance: p < 0.01, 95% CI = 0.63 to 1.14; velocity/power: p < 0.01, 95% CI = 0.68 to 1.07; team sports: p < 0.01, 95% CI = 0.98 to 1.23). We derived phase angle reference percentiles for endurance, velocity/power, and team sports athletes. Additionally, we calculated sex-specific references for a total of 22 and 19 sport disciplines for male and female athletes, respectively. This study provides sex- and sport-specific percentiles for phase angle that can track body composition and performance-related parameters in athletes.

Proposal of a New Parameter for Evaluating Muscle Mass in Footballers through Bioimpedance Analysis

“…The role of BCM has been established in football for a long time [ 12 , 26 ]. Therefore, the fact that LMI shows an ES comparable to BCM and superior to BCMI in the discrimination of player membership levels and has an even stronger relationship than the PA denotes the reliability of this new parameter [ 27 , 28 ].…”

Effects of a Single Dose of a Creatine-Based Multi-Ingredient Pre-workout Supplement Compared to Creatine Alone on Performance Fatigability After Resistance Exercise: A Double-Blind Crossover Design Study

“…During the recruitment phase, subjects were fully informed of the aims and potential risks of the investigation and provided their written informed consent to participate in this study, before completing a questionnaire to assess their health status. Inclusion criteria included a body composition according to the reference values proposed for velocity/power athletes ( 26 , 27 ) and regular participation (for at least 2 years) in resistance training or strength sports (e.g., combat sports, weightlifting, and bodybuilding). Exclusion criteria included the presence of any medical condition, fewer than three or more than five sessions per week of training, and the use of nutritional supplements containing creatine, arginine, taurine, glutamine, β-alanine, or sodium citrate in the month before the trial.…”

Body Composition and Strength Symmetry of Kettlebell Sport Athletes

“…A variety of methods and instrumentations are available to evaluate body composition. Phase angle (PhA) and bioelectrical impedance vector analysis (BIVA) have proven to be accurate, inexpensive, and minimally invasive tools [ 31 , 32 , 33 , 34 , 35 , 36 , 37 , 38 , 39 , 40 ]. PhA is an indicator of the quantity and quality of cell membranes and is considered a marker of muscle quality and function [ 36 , 37 , 38 ].…”

“…PhA is an indicator of the quantity and quality of cell membranes and is considered a marker of muscle quality and function [ 36 , 37 , 38 ]. It is also related to the distribution of body fluids, particularly of extracellular to intracellular water ratio (ECW/ICW; 33), and depends on age, height, fat-free mass (FFM) [ 37 ], muscle strength [ 39 ], and physical activity [ 35 ]. The specific BIVA approach [ 32 ], which analyses PhA along with vector length, has also shown accuracy in the evaluation of the relative content of fat mass both at the total [ 32 ] and the segmental level [ 40 ].…”

“…The specific BIVA approach [ 32 ], which analyses PhA along with vector length, has also shown accuracy in the evaluation of the relative content of fat mass both at the total [ 32 ] and the segmental level [ 40 ]. It is suitable for applications in the general population and various clinical and sports settings [ 32 , 33 , 34 , 35 , 41 , 42 ].…”