InBody 580 Composition Analysis Preparation

The InBody 580 is a state-of-the-art, medical grade body composition analyzer that provides detailed insights into your health and fitness. Utilizing bioelectrical impedance analysis (BIA), it offers accurate and comprehensive data to help you understand your body better.

To keep the results as accurate as possible; we do recommend controlling some variables prior to having your scan.

These recommendations include:

Ensuring typical water volume and distribution

  • Scan prior to exercise

  • Stand upright for 5 - 10 minutes to evenly distribute water throughout your body

  • Avoid caffeine and alcohol for at least 12 hours

Improve accuracy in fat mass calculations

  • Avoid eating or drinking for 2 hours prior

  • Go to the toilet before hand

  • Wear light weight clothing

Maintain normal body temperature

  • Avoid hot showers or saunas prior to testing

Try to keep measurement conditons the same for each scan

  • Same time of day

  • Same body temperature

  • Same hydration status

  • Same test clothing weight

    Considerations prior to testing

  • Metallic implants are okay to test with, however they may slightly alter results.

  • If you are pregnant, testing is safe

  • Glucose monitors are okay to test with

    ***We are unable to test if you have a pacemaker

    Please download the InBody App and complete the set up of your InBody account on your phone prior to your appointment.

    Understanding your Results

    Total Body Water* (L) represents the total volume of Intracellular Water (ICW) and Extracellular Water (ECW) in the body.

    Intracellular Water (ICW) represents the total weight of the body water INSIDE of the cells (including muscle cells).

    Extracellular Water (ECW) represents the total weight of the body water OUTSIDE of the cells.

    Total Body Water usually accounts for 55% of total body weight for Females and 60% for males (as a guide)

    Protein* (kg) The total weight of protein contained mainly in the muscles.

    Minerals* (Kg) The total weight of minerals in the body. These are mainly contained in the bone, with only a small amount dissolved in the body water.

    Body Fat Mass* (Kg) The weight of sub-cutaneous (surface level) and visceral (internal level) fat in the body.

    Soft Lean Mass Total Body Water (including small amount of Non-Osseous minerals) + Protein. You can think of this mass as ‘soft’ because it does not contain bone or fat.

    Fat Free Mass Total Body Water + Protein + Minerals. The total weight of everything in the body excluding Body Fat Mass. This value includes water, skin, muscle, organs, and bone.

    *For all measured values in the Body Composition Analysis section, normal ranges are provided in the brackets.

    Muscle - Fat Analysis

    Skeletal Muscle Mass (SMM) The total weight of an individual’s skeletal muscle mass (the muscle that can be developed through exercise), comparable to ideal (100%) for height and gender.

    Body Fat Mass The total weight of an individual’s body fat mass, comparable to ideal (100%) for height and gender.

    C for CAUTIOUS

    When the length of the body weight and fat mass bar is longer than the skeletal muscle mass bar, we see a resulting C shape. Individuals with a “C” body type may be at higher risk of developing lifestyle-related diseases. If weight and fat mass are above the normal range, we would encourage this person to lose fat mass and gain muscle mass.

    If weight and fat mass are within the healthy range, aim to gain muscle mass.

    I for IDEAL

    In this case, the length of the weight, skeletal muscle, and body fat bars are even. If all 3 bars are within the healthy range, we can interpret that this person has a healthy balance of fat and muscle for their body weight.

    The individual should aim to maintain this balance or to further develop muscle mass. However, if all three bars are above the healthy range, individuals should aim to reduce fat mass whilst maintaining muscle.

    D for DEVELOPED

    The “D” body type occurs when the length of the skeletal muscle mass bar is longer than the body weight or fat mass bar. This body type is commonly seen among body builders and professional athletes with high muscle and low body fat. However, if the weight and body fat mass bars are still above the healthy range, individuals should aim to reduce fat mass whilst maintaining muscle.

    Obesity Analysis

    Body Mass Index (BMI)

    The normal range provided on the results sheet is based on the World Health Organisation’s classification of a normal BMI between 18.5kg/m2 and 24.99kg/m2. A BMI above 24.99 alongside a high PBF can indicate poor health status and an increased risk of developing chronic disease. On the other hand, a BMI below 18.5 accompanied by a low PBF can indicate malnutrition.

    Percent Body Fat (PBF)

    Subcutaneous and visceral body fat is displayed as a percentage of total body weight. An individual’s body fat percentage is compared to the normal ranges for gender (10-20% for males, 18-28% for females). This section is useful to evaluate whether weight loss has come from a true reduction in body fat. If weight decreases but PBF is stable, the weight loss did not come from losing fat mass.

    Segmental Lean Analysis

    For the upper body, imbalances are considered significant if there is a difference of greater than 6% between the left and right arms. For the lower body, a difference greater than 3% between the left and right leg is considered a significant imbalance.

    Who might have left and right side muscle imbalance?

    Individuals with a dominant/preferred side

    Individuals undergoing rehabilitation for injury (often the rehabilitating side can

    become more dominant)

    Who might have upper and lower body muscle imbalance?

    Sedentary adults may have less developed lower body muscle

    Individuals who focus on resistance training mainly upper body or mainly

    lower body can have greater muscle development in their preferred area

    What is considered a severe left and right side muscle imbalance?

    Over 10% difference in lean mass sufficiency between the arms

    Over 5% difference in lean mass sufficiency between the legs

    What is considered a severe upper and lower body muscle imbalance?

    Over 2 scale spaces difference in lean mass sufficiency between the arms and legs

    Extracellular Water /Total Body Water Analysis

    Total Body Water is made up of Extracellular Water (ECW) + Intracellular Water (ICW).

    A normal range for this section is 0.360-0.390, which indicates that there is a normal balance of 3 parts ICW to 2 parts ECW.

    We aim to have higher intracellular water than extracellular water.

    What if the ECW/TBW ratio is above 0.390?

    Any swelling/fluid retention in the body can increase ECW and the ECW/TBW ratio.

    Swelling/fluid retention may be caused by:

  • Chronic conditions with associated fluid retention, such as kidney disease or heart disease

  • Injury to body tissues (I.e., muscle) can cause a temporary increase in ECW

  • Obesity and high levels of fat mass with low Skeletal Muscle can cause an increase in ECW relative to ICW

  • It can signify full body inflammation.

    We will monitor this over time, if your results do show a ratio of above 0.390.

    An increased ECW/TBW ratio can also be caused by factors that alter the body’s water balance by decreasing ICW in respect to ECW.

    For example:

  • Malnutrition

  • Cancer cachexia

    What if the ECW/TBW ratio is below 0.360?

    If the ECW/TBW ratio drops below 0.360, this is due to an increased amount of ICW in the body in respect to ECW.

    This is most likely due to:

  • Highly developed muscle - as muscle cells containing ICW grow in size, the volume of ICW contained within them increases

    Segmental ECW Ratio

    We would expect ECW ratio for each segment to be within the same normal range as the whole-body ECW/TBW ratio (0.360-0.390). If a body segment is displaying greater Lean Mass (shown on the Kg bar), but the ECW ratio is above normal ranges (or above what it was in previous scans), we can interpret that there may be increased fluid in this area rather than increased muscle mass.

    Phase Angle

    Phase Angle* is a valuable indicator of cell membrane integrity, and therefore cell health.

    Strong cell membranes prevent unwanted materials from entering the cell.

    Clinical research has found that higher Phase Angles are associated with better cell health and improved disease prognosis.

    A low Phase Angle may be caused by malnutrition, excessive alcohol intake, cancer and its associated treatments, or poor lifestyle choices. Phase Angle also naturally decreases with age. Individuals that have sufficient lean body mass and adequate nutrition status often exhibit higher Phase Angles.

    An increase in phase angle over time can determine recovery, within your body and correlates with your athletic performance.

    For Males, a healthy Whole Body Phase Angle would be above 5 degrees.

    For Females, a healthy Whole Body Phase Angle would be above 4 degrees.