The body fat percentage index provides an estimate of how much of your total fat mass comes from fat. Having an understanding of your body fat index is important because excess fat is related to many chronic conditions including diabetes, hypertension, chronic kidney and coronary heart disease. There are many ways to determine your body fat percentage index.
Excess Body Fat
Having a high body fat percentage places you at increased risk for many chronic diseases. According to the American Council of Exercise, a body fat percentage greater than 31 in women and 24 in men is considered obese. For obese individuals, weight loss is necessary to avoid disease development. Weight loss through diet alone will result in losses in body fat and muscle mass. In order to lower your body fat percentage, however, you must also perform some resistance training.
What's Too Low
An average body fat percentage is between 25 to 31 in women and 18 to 24 men. Athletes may have as little as 14 percent in women and 6 percent in men. If body fat percentages drop below 10 percent in women and 2 percent in men, there may be certain health risks. Remember that fat has important functions including energy storage, nutrient metabolism and temperature control. Fat also provides cushion for the organs. In women, having a body fat percentage that is too low may also affect menstruation because fat is important for fertility.
Measurement Techniques
There are several methods for measuring body fat percentage. Some of the most accurate measures include duel energy X-ray absorption, air displacement plethysmography and underwater weighing. The duel energy X-ray absorption method distinguishes between fat, muscle and bone. The air displacement plethysmography method determines body fat percentage by measuring body volume and body weight. Underwater weight involves being submerged fully underwater in a special chair. While underwater, the subject forces all the air out of his lungs and remains underwater so his body weight can be used to determine body fat percentage. All of these weighing techniques are expensive and require special equipment.
Other Methods
There are cheaper methods that can estimate body fat percentage, though perhaps not as accurately. Skin fold calipers estimate body fat percentage by measuring the thickness of fat on several parts of the body. Bioelectrical impedance is a portable device that estimates body fat percentage by calculating the speed through which a current travels through the body. Body fat percentage can also be crudely estimated with a body mass index which is a ratio of body weight and height.
Member Comments