Phase Angle

One of the most important values is phase angle. It is derived from the body's electrical properties and provides information about the quality of the cellular compartment.

A favourable phase angle is often associated with greater active cell mass and better membrane integrity. A lower phase angle may be associated with loss of muscle and cell mass, disease burden, undernutrition, or changes in fluid distribution.

That is why phase angle is far more interesting to me than weight or BMI alone.

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Intracellular en extracellular water

It is not only how much water you have that matters, but where that water is located.

Intracellular water is found inside the cells and is closely related to active cell mass and muscle tissue.

Extracellular water is found outside the cells, for example in blood plasma and in the spaces between tissues.

The relationship between the two can provide additional information about inflammation, recovery, fluid retention, and changes in functional cell mass.

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Muscle mass and hidden loss

From middle age onward, muscle mass can gradually decline without any change in body weight.

You may, for example, lose muscle while gaining fat at the same time, even though an ordinary scale shows virtually no change.

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Biologically, that is an important difference.

Muscle mass plays a major role in strength, mobility, glucose regulation, metabolism, and the ability to remain independent later in life.

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More than a smart scale

Many modern scales describe themselves as BIA devices, but mainly provide calculated estimates of fat, muscle and water.

In a professional assessment, I also look at the underlying electrical data, such as resistance, reactance and phase angle.

This provides a much deeper picture of:

• body composition

• fluid distribution

• functional muscle and cell mass

• cellular quality

• physical reserve

​​Within my method, BIA never stands on its own. I connect the results with other measurements, lifestyle, sleep, stress, nutrition and recovery.

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No single number tells the story. The relationships between them do.