What is mBCA?

What lies behind this method?

The Bioelectrical Impedance Analysis (BIA) is based on how the transmission properties of biological tissues can vary when it comes to current conduction. Skin electrodes are used to generate an alternating current field and then to measure the electric tension. From the amperage and electrical tension, the impedance, or respectively the alternating current resistance, can be calculated. The water in a human body is very rich with electrolytes, and therefore has a strong conductibility, while body fat with its high density acts as an electrical isolator. By way of resistance measurements, water and body fat can be distinguished and muscle, as well as lean masses, can be calculated.

The first commercial BIA machines were introduced to the market in the 1980s and have since been steadily used in more and more areas. In particular, they have been widely applied in the fields of nutrition and sport medicine. As the precision and the degree of reliance are continuously improved, this method, today, can also be used in clinical and ambulatory care settings.

With the development of the medical Body Composition Analyzer (mBCA) by seca, a new era of BIA has been initiated. The emphasis during the development process concentrated on user friendliness and optimization for application in the medical area. The main focus was to guarantee precision and reliability within the measured data. For this, the method was validated against the corresponding most precise reference methods for analyzing body compartments in a multicenter study. This proved that seca mBCA output parameters strongly correlated with the according gold standards. The high precision and reliability enables a comprehensive evaluation of the body's state of health and nourishment. As even small amounts of liquid being transferred can be detected and the cell membranes' condition can be evaluated, this method can be used for numerous medical fields of application. Due to its accuracy and easy handling, this method will become a diagnostic standard procedure for clinics, as well as ambulant care in the near future.