The relationship of percent body fat by bioelectrical impedance analysis with blood pressure, and glucose and lipid parameters.

The objective of this study was to clarify the clinical significance and usefulness of measuring percent body fat (PBF) when compared with body mass index (BMI) in the Japanese population. A total of 2,483 Japanese individuals (1,380 men and 1,103 women) who underwent a medical checkup from 1999-2002 were employed. PBF was determined using bioelectrical impedance analysis (BIA). Relationships of age, BMI and PBF with several metabolic parameters, including blood pressure, lipids and plasma glucose levels were assessed in both genders separately. In men, PBF was a stronger determinant of total cholesterol (TC), low-density lipoprotein-cholesterol (LDL-C) and triglycerides (TG) compared with age and BMI, whereas in women, age was the strongest determinant of TC and LDL-C. In both genders, BMI was the strongest determinant of serum HDL-C among age, PBF and BMI. Based on these data, we suggest that measuring PBF by BIA is superior to BMI for predicting TC, LDL-C and TG in Japanese men.