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#Post#: 54--------------------------------------------------
BMI vs. body fat: Which number is more important?
DIR By: LightMove
Date: November 15, 2021, 2:16 am
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There are more ways to measure a person's fitness than just
stepping on a scale. Body mass index (BMI) and body fat are both
measurements used to determine a person's level of personal
fitness and gauge their risk for conditions such as heart
disease and diabetes.
But what are the differences between these two measurements?
Let's take a look.
Body Mass Index
Body mass index, or BMI, has been touted as the most accurate
way to determine the effect of a person’s body weight on his or
her health. BMI is used to assess risk for diseases, especially
heart disease and diabetes. As BMI increases, so does the risk
of developing these and other weight-related diseases, including
stroke and some cancers.
BMI is a measurement of body fat based on height. The Centers
for Disease Control and Prevention provide the following ranges
for BMI values for adults:
[img]
HTML https://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/0596/0171/5391/files/BMI-diagram_480x480.png?v=1636960918[/img]
Underweight: Less than 18.5
Recommended:6 to 24.9
Overweight:0 to 29.9
Obese: 30 or greater
The limitation of BMI is that this measurement does not
distinguish fat from muscle. According to some research, more
than half of Americans have a normal BMI but a high body fat
percentage, which is known as normal weight obesity. A person
who has normal weight obesity is just as unhealthy as someone
with a high BMI.
Body Fat Percentage
Research on body fat percentage has improved in recent years,
and in some cases, this measurement may provide a better picture
of an individual’s risk of weight-related diseases than BMI.
Body fat percentage distinguishes fat from muscle and calculates
the percentage of body fat in the body. While BMI is a rough
estimate of body fat, body fat percentage is a more accurate
number.
Using body fat percentage, we might find that a highly trained
athlete is overweight, according to the
BMI, but not overfat. Likewise, a person of normal weight on the
BMI scales may still be overfat and at risk of weight-related
diseases.
The American Council on Exercises provides the following ranges
for body fat percentage for adults.
[img]
HTML https://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/0596/0171/5391/files/healthy-body-fat-ranges-for-adults-min_480x480.png?v=1636961008[/img]
Women
Essential Fat:0-12 percent
Athletes:14-20 percent
Fitness: 21-24 percent
Acceptable:25-31 percent
Obese: 32 percent+
Men
Essential Fat:2-4 percent
Athletes:6-13 percent
Fitness:14-17 percent
Acceptable:18-25 percent
Obese:26 percent+
The downfall of body fat percentage as a measurement is that the
methods of determining a person’s body fat percentage are not
all equal, and the most accurate methods are not readily
available. The two most common methods (skin fold measurement
and bioelectrical impedance analysis) are often used in homes
and gyms, but the accuracy of each varies and the error rates
can be as high as eight percent. Other more accurate methods,
such as X-ray analysis and water displacement, are much more
complicated and not readily available.
In comparison to body fat percentage, BMI gives a good idea of
an individual’s risk of weight-related diseases quickly and
easily. If you work out regularly, body fat percentage should be
calculated periodically to provide a more accurate picture of
your health and fitness.
To learn your body fat rate, you can get yourself a BodyPedia
Smart Scale, which has been proved to be the first accurate
smart scale to be used at home. More than 10,000 tests comparing
with medical devices show BodyPedia Smart Scales have around 97%
correlation to the Gold Standard method
(DXA).
HTML https://thebodypedia.com/
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