There is a large variation in the accuracy of machines available on the market, with some (InBody 570) more accurate than others.Īt The Healthy Eating Clinic we conduct full body composition analysis using our InBody 570 machine. Bioelectrical impedance analysis (InBody 570 Scanner and other machines) – sends a small electrical current through the body and estimates body composition.Dual energy X-ray absorptiometry (DXA scan) – a large, expensive x-ray machine that is quite accurate but due to the radiation it’s not recommended to have the scans regularly.Hydrodensitometry (underwater weighing) – seen as the gold standard amoung experts but not practical for the everyday person to do.Not really helpful for you I know, but I thought it was interesting! Dissection – where we cut open deceased people and precisely measure their fat mass, among other things.There are a number of different ways to measure or estimate body fat. If you lose 5% and maintain that long term, that’s better aiming for 20% and not achieving anything at all. The research tells us that even a 5% reduction in body fat can dramatically improve metabolic health. The truth is, if you’re feeling like you belong to the group above, the best thing you can do is just start to take small steps towards improving your diet quality and gradually losing body fat. More commonly, they get started only to find a few weeks later that they weren’t able to stick to it. The enormity of such a goal, for many, is too much to even get started on making a dietary change. For a large majority of them, a goal of 12-32% body fat may not be realistic or sustainable. Over 60% of Australians fall into the overweight category and would greatly benefit from dietary changes to reduce their weight. Heart disease, type 2 diabetes, cancer… just to name a few. Too much body fat is also associated with poor health. The point at which this occurs is different for everyone. For men, the loss of libido and a drastic decrease in testosterone. For a woman, this means the loss of her period from reduced reproductive hormones. It means that this is the bare minimum that you can function on, before you don’t function well – get it?Ī range of body systems become affected as body fat gets too low, particularly related to the sex hormones. This statement DOES NOT mean that you need to get your body fat as low as the minimum amount to be healthy, quite the contrary. It is generally accepted that a range of 10-22 percent for men and 20-32 percent for women is considered satisfactory for good health.” Fat above the minimal amount is referred to as nonessential fat. For males and females, essential fat values are typically considered to be 3% and 12%, respectively. “Essential fat is the minimal amount of fat necessary for normal physiological function. The American College of Sports Medicine suggests: We also know that body fat levels at different BMIs differ widely between ethnic groups, life stages and the amount of activity a person does. What we do know is that BMI (a body weight to height squared ratio) does not always give a true indication of ‘fatness’. When it comes to recommended ranges of body fat percentage, there is no internationally accepted guideline. Every cell in your body is surrounded by a bi-lipid layer (fat) and you can’t stay warm, absorb some vitamins, keep your immune system functioning or reproduce (have kids) without it. It is an essential part of your body composition and vital for long term good health. So, what is a healthy body fat percentage?īefore we get into the numbers, it’s important to understand that body fat is normal and healthy. Those who are lean are not always healthy and vice versa. The problem is, the line between what our culture defines as aesthetically beautiful and what is actually healthy is a little blurry. Most of us have tried to diet at least once in our lifetime. Years of exposure to ‘diet culture’, which describes fat as this horrible substance that must be melted off your body, makes us think that the less body fat we have the better.Ĭombine this with the daily bombardment of images depicting exceptionally lean people living happy, perfect lives, and you’ve got a whole generation of people who don’t measure up in the body fat stakes. The term ‘body fat’ has a negative vibe about it.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
Details
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |