Impact of Fluid Consumption on Estimates of Intracellular, Extracellular, and Total Body Water from Multi-Frequency Bioelectrical Impedance Analysis

Authors

Marqui Benavides, Texas Tech UniversityFollow
Baylor A. Johnson, Texas Tech UniversityFollow
Patrick S. Harty, Texas Tech UniversityFollow
Matthew T. Stratton, Texas Tech UniversityFollow
Jacob DellingerFollow
Robert W. Smith, Texas Tech UniversityFollow
Abegale D. Williams, Texas Tech UniversityFollow
Christian Rodriguez, Texas Tech UniversityFollow
Sarah WhiteFollow
Grant M. Tinsley, Texas Tech UniversityFollow

Abstract

Multi-frequency bioelectrical impedance analysis (MFBIA) is able to distinguish between total body water (TBW), extracellular water (ECW) and intracellular water (ICW). Low-frequency currents are thought to primarily pass through ECW, while high-frequency currents pass through all body fluids (i.e., TBW). ICW can then be estimated by subtracting ECW from TBW. As such, MFBIA may have utility for monitoring health conditions resulting in water retention within specific fluid compartments. However, the sensitivity of fluid estimates from MFBIA is not fully established. PURPOSE: To evaluate the effects of acute fluid ingestion on body water estimates produced by a MFBIA analyzer. METHODS: Sixteen adults (8 F, 8 M; age: 22.0 ± 2.9 y; height: 173.6 ± 9.9 cm; weight: 74.3 ± 21.6 kg; body fat %: 16.7 ± 8.1%) participated in a randomized crossover study consisting of two conditions: 1) no fluid ingestion (control; C); and 2) acute ingestion of 11 mL/kg of bottled water (W). In both conditions, participants reported to the laboratory after an overnight food and fluid fast for serial assessments using 8-point standing MFBIA. An initial MFBIA assessment was performed at baseline, followed by a 5-minute period during which water was ingested (W condition) or the participant continued to rest in the lab (C condition). Beginning 10 minutes after this time period, participants were assessed by MFBIA every 10 minutes for one hour. Participants stood upright for the entirety of each research visit. Analysis of variance with repeated measures was used to examine differences in MFBIA estimates of body mass (BM), TBW, ECW, and ICW between conditions and across time. Follow-up pairwise comparisons were performed and partial eta-squared (η_p²) effect sizes were calculated. RESULTS: A group-by-time interaction was present for BM (pp²: 0.89) but not TBW (p=0.74; η_p²: 0.03), ECW (p=0.85; η_p²: 0.02), or ICW (p=0.87; η_p²: 0.05). Follow-up indicated that BM did not differ between conditions at baseline but was ~0.6 ± 0.2 kg higher in the W condition as compared to C at all post-baseline time points (pp²: 0.29 to 0.38). No significant effects were observed for ECW. CONCLUSION: The lack of change in body fluids with acute water ingestion likely indicates that: 1) within one hour, ingested water has not been assimilated into body fluids to the extent that it is detectable by MFBIA; or 2) the quantity of fluid ingestion is below the detection limits of the MFBIA analyzer. In support of the first point, it is likely that bioelectrical currents do not penetrate the gastrointestinal tract, meaning fluids contained therein are unlikely to be detected by MFBIA as fluids.

Recommended Citation

Benavides, Marqui; Johnson, Baylor A.; Harty, Patrick S.; Stratton, Matthew T.; Dellinger, Jacob; Smith, Robert W.; Williams, Abegale D.; Rodriguez, Christian; White, Sarah; and Tinsley, Grant M. (2020) "Impact of Fluid Consumption on Estimates of Intracellular, Extracellular, and Total Body Water from Multi-Frequency Bioelectrical Impedance Analysis," International Journal of Exercise Science: Conference Proceedings: Vol. 2: Iss. 12, Article 97.
Available at: https://digitalcommons.wku.edu/ijesab/vol2/iss12/97