Association of Phase Angle with Physical Activity and Anthropometric Measurements in Individuals with Type 2 Diabetes

Kartal M. E., Aktaş N., Kaya M. G.

Türkiye Diyabet ve Obezite Dergisi , vol.9, no.3, pp.277-285, 2025 (TRDizin)

Abstract

Aim: Phase angle from bioelectrical impedance analysis is associated with cellular health, nutritional status, functional decline, and mortality. This study evaluated its relationship with physical activity and anthropometric measures in type 2 diabetes and its potential as a biomarker of functional status. Material and Methods: The study recruited 125 volunteers aged 18–65 years with type 2 diabetes, fasting ≥4 h, without alcohol in the past 24 h or vigorous activity in 24–48 h. Body composition and phase angle were measured by InBody S10 (Biospace, Seoul, Korea); height by SECA-213 stadiometer (SECA, Hamburg, Germany); weight by Honor Scale-2; waist and mid-arm circumferences by nonelastic tape using standard anthropometric protocols. Physical activity levels were determined using data obtained from the short-form International Physical Activity Questionnaire (IPAQ-SF). Sex-based differences were analyzed using either the Independent Samples t-test or the Mann–Whitney U test, according to the distributional characteristics of the data. Associations between continuous variables were examined using Pearson’s or Spearman’s correlation analyses based on data distribution Results: Mean whole-body phase angle was 5.54 ± 0.78° and mean physical activity MET score 1121.15 ± 981.04. A significant positive high correlation was found between MET score and phase angle (r =0.677, p<0.05). Whole-body phase angle also correlated significantly with body weight, body fat percentage, fat mass, bone mineral content, fat-free mass, total body water, and segmental phase angles (p<0.05). Conclusion: Phase angle may serve as a non-invasive indicator of physical activity, anthropometry, and overall status in type 2 diabetes. However, further studies are needed to establish disease-, age-, sex-, and BMI-specific reference standards and cut-off values. Keywords: Type-2 diabetes; Phase angle; Bioelectrical impedance analysis; Anthropometric measurements.