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Why We Recommend Body Composition Testing
DIR By: LightMove
Date: December 2, 2021, 2:42 am
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Do you ever step on the scale and feel like the number doesn’t
actually reveal much about your body or your health? Well,
you’re right. Despite all the emphasis on body weight, the truth
is, it doesn’t tell the full story.
Body weight is just one potential indicator of a person’s
health. As a physician, I rely on a wide variety of factors to
get a clear picture of my patients’ overall health and what
diseases they may be most at risk for. This includes patient
history, lab work and even body composition.
In my own personal and professional experience, body composition
is a much better indicator of a person’s health risk than is
body weight or body mass index (BMI).
What Is Body Composition Testing?
Body composition is a method of describing what the body is made
of, including fat, protein, minerals, and water. With body
composition testing, we get good insight on a person’s specific
muscle and body fat levels.
This is important because body fat percentage tells us a lot
more about risk for certain diseases, such as diabetes and heart
disease, than does body weight.
For example, a 200-pound professional athlete might have a lean,
12 percent body fat, while a 200-pound sedentary office worker
of the same height might have 32 percent body fat. Their height
and weight are the same, but who do you think is more likely to
be at risk for heart disease or diabetes? The person with the
higher percent body fat.
Why Scales and BMI Can Fall Short
BMI is a measure of body fat based on your weight in relation to
your height. BMI is a quick and easy measurement that can help
screen for weight categories associated with health problems,
but let me clear: it shouldn’t be used to diagnose the body
fatness or overall health of a person.
There are a number of variables that can influence the
interpretation of BMI. Here are just a few that I consider when
interpreting my patients’ BMIs:
Muscle mass: Muscular people and highly-trained athletes may
have a high BMI because of their increased muscle mass. Their
weight on the scale may make it appear as if they are
overweight, but because their weight is attributed largely to
their muscle mass, they typically will not have the same disease
risk as those with higher body fat percentages.
Ethnicity: Some ethnic populations tend to have low BMIs and
higher body fat percentages compared to other ethnic
populations. While they may look “thin,” research shows they may
have a higher prevalence of heart disease compared to their
counterparts with less body fat .
Age and Gender: In general, older adults tend to have more body
fat than younger adults who have an equivalent BMI. Women also
tend to have more body fat than men of a similar BMI.
All these factors, and more, need to be considered when
predicting health outcomes.
What Does Body Composition Reveal?
One of the main components we’re looking at with body
composition testing is a person’s percent body fat. Research has
shown that an individual’s body fat percentage is a
significantly better indicator of their risk for heart disease
than their BMI .
It’s also not just about the overall percentage, but where the
fat is located. People who have increased fat in the abdominal
region tend to be at greater risk of diseases including
hypertension, gall bladder disease, cardiovascular disease and
diabetes compared to people who tend to store fat in other areas
of their body .
How to Test Body Composition
There are several methods of body composition testing including:
skinfold calipers, hydrostatic weighing (underwater weighing),
dual energy x-ray absorptiometry (DEXA) and bioelectric
impedance analysis (BIA).
I recommend BIA to most of people, based on the ease and
accuracy of this test. BIA works by sending a small electrical
current into the body and measuring how it travels throughout
the body. In addition to revealing your body fat percentage,
some BIA devices can also report water weight, skeletal muscle
mass, lean body mass and more，such as
BodyPedia.
HTML https://bodypedia.ytmfinnovation.com/
Changing Your Body Composition
The important thing to remember is that you have the ability to
directly change your own body composition through diet and
exercise. It isn’t about how you look, but rather the impact
that it can have on your health.
Research shows that even small decreases in body fat can result
in improved insulin sensitivity and your body’s ability to
manage glucose.
There are many ways to change your body composition, such as
reducing your calorie intake, increasing your caloric burn
through exercise, and adopting a weight-lifting routine to help
build muscle mass. Additionally, enjoying smaller meals more
frequently may be another helpful strategy. One research review
of 15 studies concluded that eating small, frequent meals
enhances fat loss, as well as increases in fat-free mass (i.e.
muscle) .
Summary
While the scale can certainly help you track changes in your
body weight, a better indicator of health is your body
composition. Not only are body composition measurements more
specific than body weight, they are also more directly tied to
your likelihood of preventing or reducing chronic diseases such
as diabetes and heart disease. While your body type is
determined, in part, by genetics, have the power to change your
body composition. A thoughtful eating and exercise plan will not
only yield positive changes to your waistline, but also to your
body’s overall health.
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