The foundation of health is built on knowledge. The Personalized Lifestyle Medicine Center (PLMC) believes that true health is a measure of function as opposed to the absence of disease. We use techniques such as biometric screening to evaluate patients based on what we refer to as 5 pillars of health: sleep, exercise/movement, nutrition, stress management and relationships/community. Biometric screening is a useful tool that involves gathering information about biomarkers, body composition, and measurements to help healthcare providers analyze health risks before they become problematic.
People seek biometric screening services for various reasons. Some employers offer biometric screening to help their employees evaluate what level of health insurance they may need. Others are simply looking to establish a health baseline to use when making future life decisions. Biometric screenings vary based on the healthcare provider you work with. The most common measurements included in biometric screenings are:
The PLMC has a unique approach to biometric screening that involves the InBody Bioelectrical Impedance Analysis (BIA). The danger in simply weighing an individual and determining the state of their health by one number on the scale is that that doesn’t paint the whole picture. Weight is one piece of the puzzle, but it does not break down body composition in a way that is useful for analyzing one’s overall health, wellbeing, and fitness level.
InBody is a tool that analyzes body composition to determine how much of an individual is made up of water, dry lean mass, and fat mass. When combined, these elements convey one’s current weight, but with significantly more valuable information than what could be acquired by hopping on a traditional scale.
Biometric screening with InBody is a machine-based body composition analyzer. By determining how much of your body is made up of water, dry lean mass (DLM), and fat mass, InBody can help you make educated decisions regarding the future of your health. InBody uses bioelectrical impedance to analyze the different components of your body. 8 electrodes (2 for each limb), multiple frequencies, and direct segmental measurements provide a body composition analysis that is more accurate and comprehensive than competing BIAs.
There are several key factors to consider and understand about the InBody biometric screening process as it relates to your overall health and wellness. Biometric screening with InBody determines:
Water is essential to the everyday functioning of all the cells in our body. How water is stored in the body impacts everything from muscle mass to electrolyte levels. The goal is to maintain hydration levels that support the daily cellular functions of your body.
This is all of the protein and minerals within the body devoid of water. Measuring DLM strips away excess water and measures only muscle and bone mass. Another layer of measuring DLM is Lean Body Mass (LBM), which is dry lean mass with water. Some people refer to LBM as fat-free mass. LBM may vary throughout the day depending on the activities you do and what you have or have not eaten. For the most accurate results, we suggest all patients come in for biometric screening first thing in the morning, prior to having eaten or exercised.
Also referred to as the Muscle-Fat Analysis, this portion of biometric screening compares the amount of muscle you have on your body to that of the amount of fat. It then accounts for gender and height to determine where your Percentage Body Fat (PBF%) falls on the scale of below or above average. It is important to note that there are 3 different types of fat, all of which are stored in unique ways and all of which play different roles in the functioning of a healthy body.
While biometric screening can be a useful way to gain valuable information about one’s health and fitness levels, there are certain groups who should not engage with this machine. Individuals with implanted defibrillators or pacemakers should not be tested. Although the electrical current sent through the body with InBody is low, it is still not recommended for these groups of people.
Pregnant women, women on their menses, children, individuals with artificial hardware, individuals with implants, and those with amputated limbs may be tested, but the results may not be accurate due to hormonal changes, fluctuation in water composition, the presence of foreign materials, and other contributing factors.
