Methods for calculating body fat percentage
Many health problems arise when our bodies store a lot of fat, such as high cholesterol, high blood pressure, and insulin resistance. There is a special danger represented by the fat stored in the waist area. The natural body fat in men is about 8 to 15% of the total body weight. For women, it is approximately 20 to 30%. In a study conducted in September 2000, published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, it was found that measuring body fat percentage may be a better measure of the risk of weight-related diseases than measuring the index. Body mass index, and among the most important methods used to calculate body fat percentage are the following:
Use calipers
The Skin Fold Caliper method measures the percentage of body fat by stretching the fat using the fingers and then measuring the thickness of the caliper for body fat. The reading is given in millimeters, which is compared to a table based on age and gender to reach the percentage of body fat. There are many different types of caliper tests, and one of the most important advantages of this method is that it is accurate and reliable when the person is skilled in measuring. Accuracy for obese people.
Read also:Fat burning herbsMeasurement of electrical impedance
Bioelectric Impedance Analysis determines the opposition that occurs to the flow of an electric current through the body, as muscles contain a high percentage of water, so they are capable of electrical conductivity, while fats contain a low water content, so their electrical conductivity is lower Based on this, this device will measure both height and weight, the percentage of fat-free body mass, and the percentage of body fat. This method is inexpensive and can be used for people who have a high percentage of body fat. As for its negative side, it is not accurate. Because the results depend on the level of water in the body that may change dramatically during the day.
Use body circumference measurements
This method uses body circumference measurements (in English: Anthropometric) to estimate body fat percentages. The waist, neck, and height circumference are taken for men, and the hips, neck, and height for women. Then, using certain equations, the percentage of body fat is calculated. This method is easy and inexpensive, but it Inaccurate because body fat is not measured directly.
Underwater weight measurement
The hydrostatic weighing method is one of the most accurate methods for measuring body fat percentage, with an error rate of up to 1.5%, and requires immersing the entire body in a specialized water tank, based on the fact that bones and muscles are denser than water, and therefore the person who Has a greater proportion of bone and muscle than fat will weigh more in water and have a lower percentage of body fat. Conversely, a large amount of fat mass will make the body lighter in water. The accuracy of the reading depends on whether all air is stopped being expelled from the lungs during the examination. The test takes 20 to 30 minutes and costs about $100-150.
Read also:Laser fat breakdownUse a DEXA X-ray absorptiometry
A dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry device (DEXA Scan), which measures body fat by measuring bone mineral density, muscle tissue, and adipose tissue in all areas of the body with a high degree of accuracy. This device also allows the analysis of body fat distribution, so that one can Knowing how the fat is distributed in different parts of the body, this procedure uses a body scanner with low-dose x-rays, so it's completely safe and takes about 10 to 20 minutes.
