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Biomarkers - A Prescription for Lengthening Your Health Span
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One of our main goals at A Cura Health Center of Los Gatos is to guide patients into a longer, healthier and more vibrant life. We do this by analyzing and intervening on the ten biomarkers of aging.
In 1991, William Evans and others published a series of objective measurable statistics which correlated well with prolonged vitality and age extension. These health markers are:
1. Your Muscle Mass
2. Your Strength
3. Your Basal Metabolic Rate
4. Your Body Fat Percentage
5. Your Aerobic Capacity
6. Your Body's Blood Sugar Tolerance
7. Your Cholesterol/HDL Ratio
8. Your Blood Pressure
9. Your Bone Density
10. Your Body's Ability to Regulate Its Internal Temperature |
Using RJL Bioimpedence technology we can measure body composition and develop an individualized plan to put you in the best position to enjoy a long health life.
Why is body compostition important?
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Scale weight is not an indicator of an individuals fat, lean or health. Body composition is the amount of lean tissue compared to fat. Body composition data can form the basis for a wide variety of therapeutic health and fitness prescriptions. In clinical applications body composition analysis along with nonpharmacologic nutrition and exercise prescriptions provide the foundation upon which further treatment is based. Only body composition analysis can determine how much muscle and fat are lost or gained as the result of any nutrition, exercise, or pharmaceutical prescription. |
How is abnormal body composition managed?
When there is an imbalance between calorie intake and calorie burn we change our body composition. The quantitative management of abnormal body composition, i.e. obesity, anorexia, disease, etc. must be associated with daily calorie intake and expenditure. The successful application of body composition analysis must have a three compartment assessment. These compartments are:
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The energy storage
compartment,
Fat Mass |
Fat is the energy storage mass of the body and is the total lipid mass (triglycerides) with a density of .9 g/ml. Fat mass is equal to actual weight minus fat free mass. |
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The functional
compartment,
Body Cell Mass |
BCM is the functional mass of the body where work is done. All oxygen consumption, carbon dioxide production, glucose oxidation, protein synthesis and other metabolic work takes place within the body cell mass. The body cell mass is, in effect, the total mass of all the cellular elements in the body, and therefore, represents the metabolically active component of the body. In the normally nourished individual, muscle tissue accounts for approximately 60% of the body cell mass, organ tissue for 20% of body cell mass, with the remaining 20% made up of red cells and tissue cells. It also contains the majority of the body's potassium, (98 - 99%). |
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The support
compartment,
Extracellular Mass |
ECM is the support mass of the body and is metabolically inactive, consumes no oxygen, produces no carbon dioxide and performs no work. The extracellular mass consists of extracellular fluids and solids, such as bone and cartilage, with its primary function that of support and transport. ECM is located outside of the cellular compartment or outside of the body cell mass. Lean body mass is the sum of body cell mass and extracellular mass. |
The RJL Systems Quantum II assesses three compartment body composition with accuracy and repeatability. RJL Systems software products allow you to manage three compartment information and interact with the data to create and evaluate custom prescriptions for change. This is a significant step beyond all other analyzers, which only report body composition as fat and fat-free mass.
What are the long-term benefits of a good body composition prescription?
The ability to (1) analyze body composition data interactively, (2) create prescriptions for change and (3) visualize the effectiveness of those prescriptions and professional recommendations with projected and historical graphs helps increase motivation for positive change.
The ultimate outcome is improved health and increased longevity!
The RJL System delivers 800 uA maximum at 50 KHz which is passed between the outer two passively coupled current source electrodes. The voltage drop between the inner two detecting electrodes is measured with a high input impedance passively coupled amplifier. The impedance of the skin and the electrode polarization impedance does not affect the measurement of total body impedance with the four surface electrode technique since negligible current is drawn through the skin by the input circuits. The four surface electrode technique utilizing a constant deep homogeneous electrical field in the variable conductor of the human body also minimizes problems with field distribution and electrode irregularities. The constant current source is regulated to ± 1% accuracy from 0 to 8,000 ohms. The detecting electrodes have input characteristics that do not require complex electrodes or conductive bands.
Fundamentals of Bioelectrical Impedance Analysis
Rudolph J. Liedtke, February 1, 1998
How do cells work
All living things are made of cells. Cells are membrane bounded compartments filled with a concentrated solution of chemicals and salts. Groups of cells perform specialized functions and are linked by an intricate communications system. The cell membrane maintains an ion concentration gradient between the intracellular and extracellular spaces. This gradient creates an electrical potential difference across the membrane which is essential to cell survival. Electrical gradients are necessary to support movement of oxygen, carbon dioxide, and nutrients. Therefore, the cell membrane has electrically insulating qualities to maintain an electrical gradient. Damage to the cell membrane, and its functions, is as lethal to the cell as direct damage to the nucleus itself.
In the healthy living body, the cell membrane consists of a layer of non-conductive lipid material sandwiched between two layers of conductive protein molecules. Biologically, the cell membrane functions as a permeable barrier separating the intracellular (cytoplasm) and extracellular components. The lipid membrane is transversed by proteins, which are soluble in water thus making pores through which water, ions and other chemicals can enter and exit the cell. Controlling the flow of these materials is essential to life. The cell membrane protects the interior of the cell while allowing passage of some materials to which it is permeable. The cell membrane is composed mostly of a double layer of phospholipids, arranged tail to tail along the width of the cell membrane. This structure is called the lipid bilayer and is an electrical insulator (dielectric) as all fats and oils are. The head of the phospholipids are polar (carry a charge) and the tails are non-polar. The heads interact with water, where the tail is repulsed by water aligning them tail to tail with the heads facing the outside and inside of the cell.
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