Body Water And Extracellular Water - Tanita MC-780MA-N Instruction Manual

Taking a Measurement (continued)
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Body Water and Extracellular Water

Body water can be broadly classified into extracellular water and intracellular water. The
percentage of this water accounted for by extracellular water is known as the extracellular
water ratio.
In medical textbooks, this is defined as:
Extracellular Water (ECW): Intracellular Water (ICW) = 1:2 (i.e. an extracellular water ratio
of 33%.)
Swelling and dehydration are often diagnosed when this ratio is compromised.
But is this really correct? Can swelling or dehydration occur simply by deviating from this
ratio? Drinking water does indeed change the body's fluid distribution, but caution is
required when determining this figure.
Just as variation exists in different people's body composition, variation also exists in
different people's volume of body water and extracellular water ratio.
The appropriate data can be obtained by measuring a person's body composition. Just one
measurement however, is not enough to draw a conclusion. This figure needs to be looked
at over a period of time.
Your health can be better managed by examining this figure along with other indicators
such as weight and body fat.
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