Bioelectrical Impedance Analysis in Professional and Semi-Professional Football: A Scoping Review.

Area of Science:

• Sports Science
• Physiology
• Biomedical Engineering

Background:

• Bioelectrical impedance analysis (BIA) is a common method for assessing body composition in football.
• Current BIA accuracy is limited by population-specific regression equations.

Purpose of the Study:

• To map the literature on BIA applications in professional and semi-professional football.
• To identify uses, limitations, and future research directions for BIA in this population.

Main Methods:

• A comprehensive literature search was performed across major scientific databases (PubMed, EMBASE, Web of Science, SPORTDiscus).
• Studies included BIA use in football players (≥16 years) during training and competition.

Main Results:

• 39 studies were included from 14,624 records.
• Key applications include body composition assessment, bioelectrical impedance vector analysis (BIVA), and muscle health/injury monitoring.
• Emerging research areas include hydration, validation of methods, predictive modeling, phenotype identification, training adaptation tracking, performance assessment, and injury diagnosis.

Conclusions:

• Quantitative BIA body composition estimates may lack individual precision.
• Raw BIA parameters show potential for insights into hydration, cellular integrity, and muscle injury.
• Further research is necessary to fully leverage these BIA applications in football.