Patent ID: 7925340

Claim:
A trunk visceral fat measuring method comprising steps of: applying a current from a pair of current applying electrodes to a section between the navel and the upper border of the iliac crest or aponeurosis between the rectus abdominis muscle and the external abdominal oblique muscle; measuring a potential difference which has occurred in the tissue through which the current has passed by a pair of voltage measuring electrodes; and determining the visceral fat tissue amount of the trunk by use of impedance of the trunk which has been obtained by use of the potential difference wherein: one of the current applying electrodes and one of the voltage measuring electrodes are disposed at a section between the navel and the upper border of the iliac crest or aponeurosis between the rectus abdominis muscle and the external abdominal oblique muscle positioned at either the left side or the right side when viewed, in the trunk circumferential direction, with the navel as the center therebetween, the other current applying electrode and the other voltage measuring electrodes are disposed at a section between the navel and the upper border of the iliac crest or aponeurosis between the rectus abdominis muscle and the external abdominal oblique muscle positioned at the other side when viewed, in the trunk circumferential direction, with the navel as the center therebetween, the pair of current applying electrodes and the pair of voltage measuring electrodes are disposed at a section between the navel and the upper border of the iliac crest or aponeurosis between the rectus abdominis muscle and the external abdominal oblique muscle, these pairs being positioned away from each other in a trunk length direction, and the method further comprises: determining a trunk skeletal muscle tissue volume based on body specifying information; determining impedance of trunk skeletal muscle tissue layer based on the determined trunk skeletal muscle tissue volume and the body specifying information; determining a splanchnic organ tissue volume of the trunk based on the body specifying information; determining impedance of the splanchnic organ tissue of the trunk based on the determined splanchnic organ tissue volume of the trunk and the body specifying information; determining impedance of the visceral fat tissue of the trunk based on the determined impedance of the trunk, the determined impedance of the trunk skeletal muscle tissue layer and the determined impedance of the splanchnic organ tissue of the trunk; and determining the visceral fat tissue amount of the trunk based on the determined impedance of the visceral fat tissue of the trunk and body specifying information.