Bioimpedance phase angle in elite male athletes: a segmental approach

Phase angle (PA), a bioelectrical impedance analysis (BIA) parameter, has proven to be a proxy of body cell mass in athletes, but very few data are available on its segmental evaluation (upper and lower limbs). Therefore, we aimed to assess whether whole-body and segmental PA varied among elite male athletes of different sports and compared these to control groups. Additionally, we investigated its relationship with anthropometric and body composition parameters.

Elite athletes practicing cycling, water polo and ballet dance aged 18-40 years underwent anthropometric and BIA measurements. PA (whole-body and upper and lower limbs) was considered as raw BIA variable. Data were also compared with healthy subjects with similar characteristics who served as control groups.

Participants included three groups of male athletes: 18 cyclists (age 28.6 ± 3.4 years; weight 70.6 ± 5.4 kg; BMI 21.5 ± 1.4 kg m²), 20 water polo players (age 23.9 ± 4 years; weight 89.0 ± 5.2 kg; BMI 25.9 ± 1.9 kg m²) and 18 ballet dancers (age 19.2 ± 1.3 years; weight 63.3 ± 5.8 kg; BMI 20.8 ± 1.0 kg m²) and three groups of healthy control subjects each of which similar for general characteristics (one to one) to the previous ones. Both whole-body and limb PAs were significantly higher in athletes compared to their respective controls, whereas no differences were found among sport groups. PA was positively correlated with BMI and fat-free mass (FFM) more in athletes than in controls and FFM was the main determinant.

PA may represent a useful proxy parameter of soft tissue mass quality, directly related to physical activity level. Furthermore, the direct evaluation of segmental PA among athletes practicing different sports may be useful for assessing and monitoring the differences among athletes and changes due to training.