Blood pressure
Blood pressure is the force blood exerts on artery walls; the BPBIO750 monitor records it as a systolic value during the heartbeat and a diastolic value between beats, both in mmHg.
Short answer
The upper number is the pressure during the heartbeat, the lower one between beats. A single reading describes a moment, not your blood pressure. Repeatedly high values belong with a doctor — together with a series measured at home.
What the value represents
The heart works in two phases and arterial pressure follows them. During contraction it peaks — that is the systolic value, the upper number. Between beats, while the heart fills, it drops to its lowest — the diastolic value, the lower number. They are always written together, for example 129/72 mmHg.
Unlike body composition, this is a quantity that changes within minutes. Morning and afternoon readings routinely differ by tens of mmHg without any change in health.
A single reading at the studio therefore does not determine whether you have high blood pressure. It shows one situation: this person, this day, after this commute, in this mood. It is useful as a prompt — repeatedly high readings are a reason to measure at home and see a doctor.
- Systolic value: the highest pressure in the arteries during the heartbeat, in mmHg.
- Diastolic value: the lowest pressure between beats, while the heart fills, in mmHg.
- The state of circulation at the moment of measurement, not a daily average or your usual level.
- It does not represent a diagnosis, a risk or the state of your vessels. Those come from repeated measurement and further assessment.
How the value is produced
- A directly measured value. The monitor inflates the cuff, deflates it gradually and derives the systolic and diastolic values oscillometrically from pressure oscillations in the cuff.
- The InBody 970 manual states that blood pressure is measured by a connected external BPBIO device; InBody itself does not measure it and does not derive it from bioimpedance.
- From the measured pressure and pulse the device immediately derives MAP, PP and RPP, printed next to it.
- Values marked (2) come from a second set of measurements on the same device.
How to read the current value
- Read both numbers together, not just the upper one. Systolic and diastolic values carry their own information and can deviate independently.
- WHO states that high blood pressure is established from readings on two different days, with systolic ≥ 140 mmHg and/or diastolic ≥ 90 mmHg. A single reading on a device does not meet that condition even when it is high.
- A higher value right after arriving, after coffee, a cigarette or when nervous about the measurement is common. Guidelines therefore require several minutes seated at rest beforehand.
- If the result is far outside your usual range and the measurement was taken correctly, repeat it after five minutes of rest and go by the calmer second reading.
How to read change over time
- Compare only measurements taken under comparable conditions: similar time of day, same arm, rest beforehand, back supported and arm at heart level.
- A difference between two visits means nothing on its own. Blood pressure varies within and between days more than most values on the result sheet.
- What matters is a repeating pattern: values that come out high at every visit are information. One high result among low ones is not.
- When following the effect of a lifestyle change or medication, home measurement over a series of days is a better basis than readings at the studio.
General principles: how to read change between measurements →
What to read it with
- Pulse rate – measured at the same time and describes the current state of circulation together with pressure.
- Derived values MAP, PP and RPP – they come from the same measurement and add no independent information.
- Your own home measurements – only a longer series shows your usual level.
- Weight and visceral fat – related to blood pressure in the long run, but they do not determine its value.
Common misunderstandings
- One high reading is not hypertension. It is one high reading. A diagnosis is made by a doctor from repeated measurements under standardised conditions.
- Both numbers matter. An elevated diastolic value with a normal systolic one is not a detail, and neither is the opposite.
- Low pressure is not automatically a problem. Without symptoms such as dizziness or fainting it may mean nothing.
- Blood pressure cannot be guessed from how you feel. That is exactly why it is measured.
What can affect the result short term
- Rest beforehand: several minutes seated, back supported, legs uncrossed.
- Arm position — it should be supported at heart level; a lower arm overestimates the value.
- Cuff size and fit; a cuff that is too small raises the result.
- Talking during the measurement, a full bladder, a cold room.
- Coffee, nicotine, alcohol and physical activity in roughly the last 30 minutes.
- Nervousness about the measurement itself, which raises the value even in people with otherwise usual pressure.
What to do next
- Sit down and rest for a few minutes before measuring. Do not talk, and do not measure right after arriving or after coffee.
- Write down both numbers with the date. One value says little, a series says a lot.
- If your pressure comes out high repeatedly, measure at home morning and evening for a few days and take the record to a doctor.
- Do not adjust blood pressure medication based on a reading at the studio. Dosage is changed by a doctor.
What the value does not determine
- A single measurement is not a diagnosis. Neither a high nor a low result determines high or low blood pressure as a condition — a doctor assesses that from repeated measurements under standardised conditions.
- The value describes a single moment. Pressure changes during the day, with posture, after food, coffee, a cigarette and physical activity, and the tension of being measured raises it too.
- The result depends on technique: cuff size and fit, arm supported at heart level, back supported, legs uncrossed, rest beforehand and no talking during the measurement.
- The InBody 970 manual states that blood pressure is measured by a connected external monitor and gives no reference range for blood pressure. The value is therefore not compared with any device threshold.
- The measurement does not replace home measurement or 24-hour monitoring, on which medical assessment usually relies.
- The device does not determine the cause of a deviation and cannot tell long-term elevation from a one-off reaction to the situation.
- An irregular heart rhythm can distort oscillometric measurement; the device does not evaluate rhythm and does not replace an ECG.
On terminology
- The systolic value is the upper number (heart contraction), the diastolic the lower number (relaxation between beats). They are written as systolic/diastolic in mmHg.
- Values marked (2) come from a second set of measurements on the same device, not from a different method or a different arm.
- We avoid the label "normal value" for blood pressure. Judging what is appropriate for a given person belongs to a doctor, not to a device.
When to discuss it with a professional
Repeatedly high values, very low pressure with dizziness or fainting, chest pain, breathlessness or an irregular pulse belong with a doctor. For sudden symptoms of this kind seek medical help rather than taking another reading.
In more depth, with sourcesIn more depth: why a single reading is weak evidenceExpand the detailed explanation
Oscillometric monitors do not detect Korotkoff sounds like the auscultatory method; they derive pressure from the amplitude of oscillations in the cuff during deflation, using the manufacturer algorithm. The method is reliable with a regular rhythm; an irregular rhythm such as atrial fibrillation can distort it, and the device neither evaluates rhythm nor replaces an ECG.
Blood pressure has substantial inherent variability — it changes with time of day, posture, breathing, temperature, emotion and with the act of measurement itself. The European Society of Hypertension guideline therefore standardises the conditions (seated rest, supported back, arm supported at heart level, correct cuff size, no conversation) and bases a diagnosis on repeated measurements or on out-of-office measurement. WHO gives as its criterion readings on two different days: systolic ≥ 140 mmHg and/or diastolic ≥ 90 mmHg.
This determines how to read the value on the result sheet. A reading at the studio is taken after arrival, often after rushing, and only once — by its conditions it is closer to screening than to a diagnostic procedure. Its value lies in detection: repeatedly high results are a reason for home measurement and a doctor visit. The InBody 970 manual adds no reference range of its own; it only states that the value is measured by a connected external monitor.
Sources
- InBody 970 Result Sheet Interpretation (ENG_A_211104) — InBody Co., Ltd.
- Hypertension — World Health Organization
- 2023 ESH Guidelines for the management of arterial hypertension — European Society of Hypertension / Journal of Hypertension
On this page
Related articles
Where to find it
Measured with the separate monitor. On the InBody 970 result sheet the values appear in the Blood pressure block at the bottom right.
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- MojeInBody content team
- Date
An InBody measurement is not a diagnostic tool. Results do not determine health status and do not replace a medical examination.
FAQ
Frequently asked questions
Answers to what people ask most often about this value.
It measured high blood pressure. Do I have hypertension?
That cannot be determined from one reading. WHO works with values measured on two different days, systolic 140 mmHg or above and/or diastolic 90 mmHg or above. A one-off high result is a reason to measure at home and see a doctor, not a diagnosis.
Why do I get different values at home than at the studio?
Because the conditions differ. At the studio you are measured after arriving, often after rushing and slightly tense, which raises pressure. Home measurement at rest over several days describes your usual level better, and doctors usually rely on it.
Which number matters more, the upper or the lower one?
Both. Systolic and diastolic values carry their own information and can deviate independently. They are always assessed together, not one instead of the other.
Does InBody measure blood pressure itself?
No. According to the manual a connected external BPBIO monitor measures it and InBody only displays the value on the result sheet. Blood pressure cannot be derived from bioimpedance.
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