Body composition analysis is a physical test that measures various contents of a human body, such as water, protein, fat, and minerals. BARC has developed a Body Composition Analyzer (BCA) which is used for instant analysis of patient?s health and fitness status. The BCA has been designed to be PC / mobile based interactive unit. Analysis is performed in less than 2 minutes which includes bone mineral content, body fat mass and 10 other parameters. People with health concerns can perform regular assessments of their body composition, nutrition, hydration and weight management in order to track changes and progress.

 SALIENT FEATURES

• Low power portable device (can bring machine to subject).
• User-friendly, Non-invasive, Simple & Safe.
• Electric current used during acquisition is harmless to the body.
• Gives Bone Mineral Content, Body Fat Mass, Body mass Index, Protein, Intra Cellular Water, Extra Cellular Water, Minerals, Body Cell Mass, Skeletal Muscle Mass, Waist Hip Ratio, Visceral Fat Area and Percentage Body Fat.

SPECIFICATIONS

APPLICATION AREAS

It finds many applications in early detection of Osteoporosis, risk awareness of Coronary artery disease, Hypertension, Diabetes & Osteoarthritis and many other areas. It is widely used in private clinics, hospitals, gymnasiums, obesity clinics, health care and fitness centers.

Osteoporosis is a disease in which the bones deteriorate and become weak and fragile. In the early state of this disease there may be no symptoms and a fractured bone may be the first symptom of osteoporosis. In this disease there is abnormal loss of Bone Mineral Content (BMC), which leads to a tendency to non traumatic bone fractures or to structural deformations of bone. The accurate estimation of the BMC has been an important diagnostic indicator for determining the status of osteoporosis. In addition, obesity (excess fat) is also considered serious health problem that reduces life expectancy by increasing the risk of developing coronary artery disease, hypertension, and diabetes ,Too little Body Fat Mass (BFM) also poses a health risk because the body needs a certain amount of body fat mass for normal physiological functions. Hence measurement of body fat mass is equally important for maintaining fitness level for a long and a healthy life. Protein deficiency is a challenging medical problem as it leads to the Protein Energy Malnutrition, Anemia, and Proteinuria etc. The body also uses Protein to produce hemoglobin in red blood cells, the vehicle by which oxygen is transported to muscles and organs. In addition, without sufficient protein, the lungs and immune system would cease to function properly. Thus, Protein content estimation is useful to gauge the person's susceptibility to above diseases. Body water (intra as well as extra-cellular) regulates body temperature, aids digestion and helps our muscles to contract and relax. Being well hydrated will help concentration levels, performance and general wellbeing. Variation between individuals in the ratio of TBW to total body weight is quite large but the majority of the variation is due to different amounts of adipose tissue. Obese adults have a lower ratio. Dehydration can occur by not drinking enough fluid or by losing more fluid than one takes in. The severity of dehydration can often depend on a number of factors, such as climate, level of physical activity, diet and illness. Other health problems like, Night-blindness, Hypophosphatemia, Hyperphosphatemia, Sarcopenic Obesity, AIDS and Terminal Cancer can also be detected by other health parameters. In view of this, BARC has developed a Handheld battery operated system for measurement of Body Mass Index(BMI), Bone Mineral Content (BMC), Body Fat Mass (BFM), Protein, Intra Cellular Water (ICW), Extra Cellular Water (ECW), Minerals, Body Cell Mass (BCM), Skeletal Muscle Mass (SMM), Waist Hip Ratio (WHR), Visceral Fat Area(VFA) and Percentage Body Fat (PBF) .

For reference, commercially available Inbody-720 Precision Body Composition Analyzer has been used along with Dual energy X-ray absorptiometry (DEXA) at Nanavati Hospital in Mumbai. A simplified Body Composition Analyzer has been developed that measures body impedance at frequency of 6.25, 50.0 and 250.0 KHz. The current electrodes are applied at palm and feet of either the left side or the right side. The sensing electrodes are connected at the wrist and ankle on the same side. BMC ,BFM,BMI and others is obtained using various parameters like height in meters, weight in Kilograms, age in years, gender, Z_body250 i.e. body impedance at 250 KHz, Z_body50 i.e. body impedance at 50 KHz and Z_body6.25 i.e. body impedance at 6.25 KHz.

FEATURES

• User-friendly, Non-invasive, Safe, and Simple.
• Single measurement gives values of 12 parameters.
• Testing itself takes less than 2 minutes.
• Based on the principle of Bioelectric Impedance Analysis.
• Electric current used during measurement is harmless to the body.
• Battery operated and thus suited for operation in rural as well as urban area.
• As the instrument is battery operated and small in size, it can be taken to anywhere.
• Operates on commonly available rechargeable battery.
• Hardcopy of report can be taken on A4 size paper from the printer.

SPECIFICATIONS

• Based on the principle of Bioelectrical Impedance Analysis.
• Tetra polar electrode configuration.
• Multi frequency analysis (6.25 kHz, 50 kHz, 250 kHz).
• Mechanical Dimensions :     22.5 cm X 19.5cm X 7cm
• Weight                             : 790 g.
• Power Input                     : +8.4 V (2.8A).

APPLICATIONS

• Measurement of. Body Mass Index(BMI), Bone Mineral Content (BMC), Body Fat Mass (BFM), Protein, Intra Cellular Water (ICW), Extra Cellular Water (ECW), Minerals, Body Cell Mass (BCM), Skeletal Muscle Mass (SMM), Waist Hip Ratio (WHR), and Percentage Body Fat (PBF) for diagnosis of Obesity (excess fat),Coronary artery disease, Hypertension, Diabetes ,Osteoarthritis. Protein Energy Malnutrition, Anemia, Marasmic Kwashiorkor,Proteinuria,Dehydration,Night-blindness,Hypophosphatemia, Hyperphosphatemia, Sarcopenic Obesity, cardiovascular disease, AIDS and Terminal Cancer.
• Body composition analysis is a physical test that measures the proportion of the various   components (viz. water, protein, fat, and minerals) of a human body. BCA is used to understand patient?s health and fitness status.

INFRASTRUCTURE REQUIREMENT

• Since this is electronic equipment it does not require large working space. 
  ~500 Square Feet area may be more than adequate.

Test Equipments

• Test & measuring facility for electronic systems like 100 MHz Oscilloscope, Digital Voltmeter with 0.1 V resolution, PC with windows xx OS and required PCB designing software (optional)

Other Facilities

• Micro-controller Programming and Testing, Provision to import some components if not available locally.

Skilled Manpower

• One qualified electronic engineer with 4-5 years experience for hardware and application software testing and one experienced tradesman for production, testing, calibration of the instrument with standard signals and data collection.

Power

• 8.4 V/ 2.8A