Body composition measured by multi-frequency bioelectrical impedance following creatine supplementation.

Background: Acute fluid ingestion increases estimated body fat percentage (BF%) measurements by single frequency (SF-BIA) and multi-frequency bioelectrical impedance (MF-BIA). It is unknown if MF-BIA accurately measures total BF% and total body water (TBW) after creatine supplementation, which causes fluid retention, and resultant increases in fat-free mass and TBW. The purpose of this study was to analyze the effect of creatine supplementation on body composition and TBW measured through a popular MF-BIA device (InBody 770).

Methods: Thirteen male and 14 female subjects (18-22 years) completed one week of creatine monohydrate (0.3 g/kg body weight) or maltodextrin. Pre- and post-supplementation body composition measurements included dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry (DEXA), SF-BIA measured by an Omron HBF-306C device, and MF-BIA measured by an InBody 770 device to measure BF%, fat free mass (FFM), and fat mass (FM). Additionally, intracellular water (ICW), extracellular water (ECW), and TBW were estimated by MF- BIA.

Results: FFM increased more in the creatine group than the placebo group measured by all body composition modes (1.2 kg, 1.9 kg, and 1.1 kg increase for SF-BIA, MF-BIA, and DEXA respectively, P<0.05). Creatine supplementation resulted in a 2% increase (P<0.05) in TBW measured by MF-BIA (40.4±9.5 to 41.2±9.6 kg).

Conclusions: One week of creatine supplementation increased TBW as detected by the InBody 770 device. Changes in body composition that occurred due to the increase in TBW were detected as an increase in FFM measured by SF-BIA, MF-BIA, and DEXA.