A Look at the Phase Angle Obtained by Electrical Bioimpedance
Electrical bioimpedance analysis is an easy, non-invasive and non-ionizing method, used for various purposes, including: analysis of body composition, malnutrition, sarcopenia, general health status and can enable the identification of conditions associated with diseases. One of the parameters derived from electrical bioimpedance is the phase angle, a physiological index that represents the relationship between the resistance (capacitance of body fluids and electrolytes against the electrical current) and the reactance (capacity of the cell membrane to maintain electrical potential) of cells and body tissues.
Editorial
Electrical bioimpedance analysis is an easy, non-invasive and non-ionizing method, used for various purposes, including: analysis of body composition, malnutrition, sarcopenia, general health status and can enable the identification of conditions associated with diseases. One of the parameters derived from electrical bioimpedance is the phase angle, a physiological index that represents the relationship between the resistance (capacitance of body fluids and electrolytes against the electrical current) and the reactance (capacity of the cell membrane to maintain electrical potential) of cells and body tissues [1, 2].
The phase angle is considered an indicator of cellular health, low phase angle values are associated with dysregulation of cell permeability and cell death, on the other hand, high phase angle values reflect good cell membrane architecture and good homeostatic balance. The phase angle measurement can be performed once, where, through the bioelectrical impedance, the equipment emits a low-intensity electrical current (800μA – 50 kHz). The phase angle (PhA) can be obtained using the formula: PhA (°)= artan (reactance / resistance) x (180° / π) [3, 4, 5].
The phase angle is widely used in the health field, as its assessment can be associated with health conditions and tissue modification, as seen in muscle tissue, which has properties that make it an efficient bioelectrical conductor for the body. Which, when presenting levels of muscular hypertrophy, also presents changes in intracellular components, which leads to changes in phase angle values [6, 7].
Phase angle is a variable sensitive to clinical conditions that influence cellular health. Changes and decreases in phase angle values are observed in people with malnutrition, diabetes mellitus, heart failure, cancer, sarcopenia, frailty and other clinical conditions [8, 9, 10, 11]. Such clinical conditions, which cause a decrease in phase angle levels, arouse interest in investigating the multivariate association of phase angle and health/disease factors.
Therefore, the phase angle presents itself as an important variable to be used in the health field, whether for investigations of health status, performance, body composition, nutrition, as well as investigations in the clinical field, for disease relationships on the cellular state, the phase angle itself and other physiological markers.
References
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Lukaski HC, Talluri A (2003) Phase Angle as an index of Physiological Status: Validating Bioelectrical Assessments of Hydration and Cell Mass in Health and Disease. Rev Endocr Metab Disord 24(3): 371-379.
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Norman K, Stobäus N, Pirlich M, Bosy-Westphal A (2012) Bioelectrical Phase Angle and Impedance Vector Analysis--clinical Relevance and Applicability of Impedance Parameters. Clin Nutr 31(6): 854-861.
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Piccoli A, Rossi B, Pillon L (1992) Is 50 kHz the Optimal Frequency in Routine Estimation of Body Water by Bioelectrical Impedance Analysis? Am J Clin Nutr 56(6): 1069-1070.
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Güner M, Ceylan S, Okyar Baş A, Kahyaoğlu Z, Çöteli S, et al. (2023) Phase Angle is Associated with Frailty in Community-dwelling Older Adults. Nutrition 116: 112157.
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Kyle UG, Genton L, Pichard C (2013) Low Phase Angle Determined by Bioelectrical Impedance Analysis is Associated with Malnutrition and Nutritional Risk at Hospital Admission. Clin Nutr 32(2): 294-299.
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Lukaski HC, Garcia-Almeida JM (2023) Phase angle in applications of bioimpedance in health and disease. Rev Endocr Metab Disord 24(3): 367-370.
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Sardinha LB, Rosa GB (2023) Phase angle, muscle tissue, and resistance training. Rev Endocr Metab Disord 24(3): 393-414.
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Muramae N, Matsuda T, Inagaki S (2023) Determinants of phase angle in Japanese patients with diabetes. Diabetol Int 14: 339-343.
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Scicchitano P, Massari F (2023) The role of bioelectrical phase angle in patients with heart failure. Rev Endocr Metab Disord 24(3): 465-477.
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Amano K, Bruera E, Hui D (2023) Diagnostic and prognostic utility of phase angle in patients with cancer. Rev Endocr Metab Disord 24(3): 479-489.
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Wilhelm-Leen ER, Hall YN, Horwitz RI, Chertow GM (2014) Phase Angle, Frailty and Mortality in Older Adults. J Gen Intern Med 29(1): 147-154.
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