Measurement of nutritional status in simulated microgravity by bioelectrical impedance spectroscopy

The potential of bioelectrical impedance spectroscopy (BIS) for assessing nutritional status in spaceflight was tested in two head-down-tilt bed-rest studies. BIS-predicted extracellular water (ECW), intracellular water (ICW), and total body water (TBW) measured using knee-elbow electrode placement were compared with deuterium and bromide dilution (DIL) volumes in healthy, 19- to 45-yr-old subjects. BIS was accurate during 44 h of head-down tilt with mean differences ( BIS - DIL) of 0 - 0.1 kg for ECW, 0.3 - 0.5 for ICW, and 0.4 - 0.6 kg for TBW ( n = 28). At 44 h, BIS followed the within-individual change in body water compartments with a relative prediction error ( standard error of the estimate/baseline volume) of 2.0 - 3.6% of water space. In the second study, BIS did not detect an acute decrease (- 1.41 +/- 0.91 kg) in ICW secondary to 48 h of a protein-free, 800 kcal/day diet ( n = 18). BIS's insensitivity to ICW losses may be because they were predominantly (65%) localized to the trunk and/or because there was a general failure of BIS to measure ICW independently of ECW and TBW. BIS may have potential for measuring nutritional status during spaceflight, but its limitations in precision and insensitivity to acute ICW changes warrant further validation studies.