Bioelectrical Impededance Analysis or BIA is a way of measuring your own unique body composition. Body composition is a comparison of two important health factors: body fat to body mass; and intracellular water to extracellular water. An unhealthy body composition occurs when an individual carries too much body fat in relation to lean tissue such as muscle. In addition, it can also cause an increase in extracellular water due to cellular membrane disturbances. Aside from leading to obesity, an unhealthy body composition can also cause:
- Heart disease
- High blood pressure
- Some forms of cancer
- Hormonal imbalances
- Sleep apnea
- Fatigue
- Strokes
- High cholesterol
- Diabetes
- Metabolic Syndrome
- And much more!
Metabolic syndrome causes an increase in blood pressure, cholesterol, blood insulin and blood glucose. Those with metabolic syndrome are at a greater risk of developing heart disease, diabetes and strokes. A common indicator of metabolic syndrome is a waist circumference greater than 40 inches in men, and 35 inches in women. Estrogen disruption can also occur because estrogen is produced in fat tissue, therefore an increase of fat-to-muscle mass could potentially lead to a hormonal imbalance leading to symptoms such as PMS, uterine fibroids, cervical dysplasia, endometriosis, and breast, uterine and ovarian cancers.
A BIA scan is a simple, non-invasive procedure that can be done in an office visit. Lying comfortably on a table, you will have pads adhered to one hand and one foot. An imperceptible electrical current passes through the pads into your body, measuring your body composition. Results of the scan are immediate and your Naturopathic Doctor will make healthy lifestyle recommendations in order to help your body achieve its ideal composition once more.