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Bioelectrical impedance vector analysis (BIVA) in university athletes
Priscila Custódio Martins1, Luis Alberto Gobbo2, Diego Augusto Santos Silva3
1Departamento de Educação Física, Universidade Federal de Santa Catarina, Centro de Desportos, Campus Universitário - Trindade - Caixa Postal 476, Florianópolis, Santa Catarina, CEP 88040-900, Brazil. priscilaamartinsc@gmail.com.
Bioelectrical impedance vector analysis (BIVA) shows athletes have adequate hydration. Athletes in both team and individual sports exhibit higher body cell mass (BCM) compared to non-athletes, with no significant BIVA differences between athlete groups.
Area of Science:
- Sports Science
- Human Physiology
- Body Composition Analysis
Background:
- Bioelectrical impedance vector analysis (BIVA) is a method to assess hydration status and body composition components like body cell mass (BCM).
- BIVA utilizes plotting individuals within ellipses to compare groups with varying characteristics.
Purpose of the Study:
- To compare the confidence and tolerance ellipses of BIVA between individual and team sports athletes.
- To compare these BIVA parameters against a non-athlete reference population.
Main Methods:
- One hundred sixty-seven college athletes (117 team sports, 50 individual sports, aged 18-35) underwent bioelectrical impedance testing.
- Resistance (R) and reactance (Xc) values were measured for BIVA to determine hydration status and BCM.
- Hotelling's t-test was employed for group comparisons within confidence ellipses, contrasted with a non-athlete Italian reference group.
Main Results:
- No significant BIVA differences were found between male (p=0.151) or female (p=0.624) team and individual sports athletes.
- The majority of athletes fell within the 50% tolerance ellipses, suggesting adequate hydration.
- Athletes, compared to non-athletes, showed a leftward impedance vector deviation on the minor axis (Xc), indicating higher BCM.
Conclusions:
- BIVA does not differentiate between team and individual sports athletes.
- Most athletes in the study maintained adequate hydration levels.
- Athletes demonstrated significantly higher body cell mass (BCM) than the non-athlete reference population.
