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I get tremendous health information from the simple and easy Bio-Impedance Analysis test, i.e., lean muscle mass, fat mass, Phase Angle (PhA), a cellular membrane health marker.
Adults Phase Angle range from 3 to 15. Normal values are 6 to 8. I’ve never seen a 4 and I’ve never seen a 13. The higher the number the healthier the cell membrane. As a tiny (imperceptible) current travels through the body, it goes through the cell membranes of the body. The membranes act like jello & slow down the current, causing a phase shift of the signal. The healthier the cell membrane the faster the signal travels. I am a big proponent of increasing Phase Angle through increased muscle mass + good nutrition, exercise, and fat loss.
To improve Phase Angle I recommend Ortho Molecular Omega’s and MitoCore.
(For geeks) PhA calculation is the arctangent of (Reactance /Resistance). If you can maintain or gain muscle mass while losing fat weight, this will improve their resistance reading and thus improve their overall phase angle. The more intact cell membranes you have and the more selectively permeable they are, then the more intracellular mass you will have. The more intracellular mass you have, the higher the reactance of your body. The higher your body’s reactance, the higher your phase angle will be.
Likewise, the more fat-free mass you have, the less your body resists conducting electricity. The lower your body’s resistance, the higher your phase angle will be. Usually, on a scale of 0-20, the higher your phase angle the better.
Phase Angle Increases -
- Increase in metabolic tissue (body cell mass) - weight lifting
- Increase in fat-free mass – Ketogenic or Mediterranean Diet
- Improved hydration of fat-free mass
Phase Angle: Useful For Comparing -
- Reactance along with the patient’s weight indicates an absolute amount of body cell mass (BCM).
- Reactance is best applied when comparing test results in a single patient at different times.
- Two patients with exact reactance (X) can have different amounts of BCM, depends on patient’s weight.
- Any patient with a higher phase angle will always have a higher proportion of BCM than patient with low phase angle.
- Phase angle indicates number of intact cell membranes.
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Phase angle does not include statistical regression analysis effect.
- Phase angle is a direct measurement of relative amounts of intact cellular membranes.
How Does Phase Angle Work?
- A bioimpedance analyzer applies 50-kilohertz alternating current to the body.
- Phase angle is a delay in time between the electric potential and current.
- Oscilloscope connected to the body appears as delay between the voltage waveform and current waveform.
- The period of each wave at 50 kilohertz is 20 microseconds. If, for example, the time delay is ten percent of the period, then the time delay is 2 microseconds.
- When expressed in units of time, it is said that the phase delay is 2 microseconds.
- Time delay can be seen as percentage of entire wave period in degrees.
- Complete wave period consists of 360 degrees. If the time delay is one-tenth the total period of the wave, it is equivalent to 36 degrees.
- When time delay is expressed this way (in degrees of total wave period), this is the phase angle.
The relationship between phase angle & cellular health is increasing & nearly linear. The higher the PhA, the healthier the body’s cell.
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