Phase Angle Is Related with Visceral Obesity in Young Adults

Obesity is a global problem, increasing interest in adipose tissue (AT) biology. One of the techniques for analyzing visceral adipose tissue (VAT) and phase angle (PhA) is bioelectrical impedance analysis (BIA). PhA is considered an indicator of cell integrity and health and can be a prognostic marker in diseases and clinical conditions. The aim of the study was to assess the nutritional status and level of visceral fat area (VFA) to investigate the association between phase angle (PhA) and content of visceral adipose tissue in young adults. Our cohort consisted of 292 young adults (18–25), both sexes. Body composition was performed by the inBody 770 analyzer. We confirmed the relationship between PhA and gender (female vs. male: 5.3 vs. 6.5; p < 0.001) and BMI (female vs. male: 22.56 kg/m2 vs. 23.78 kg/m2; p = 0.013). A total of 20.2% of examined students had a VFA of more than 100 cm2 (Visceral Obesity, VO). We demonstrated a dependence between VFA and PhA value (PhA = 5.4 (VFA > 100 cm2) vs. PhA = 5.7 (VFA < 100 cm2), p = 0.003). Students with VO and normal BMI had a significantly lower PhA than those with VO and BMI ≥ 30 kg/m2 (p = 0.021). PhA may be a useful indicator for assessing nutritional status and physiological differences related to gender, BMI, and visceral obesity in young adults.