Bioelectrical impedance (BIA): BIA estimates someone’s body fat percentage by passing a low-level electric current through the body.Dual energy X-ray absorptiometry: X-rays move through fat, muscle, and bone at different rates, so this approach passes two low-level X-rays through the body to calculate relative percentages.Densitometry generally only takes place in a research setting. The test compares their weight measurements on land to their measurements in water to calculate body fat percentage. Densitometry: This involves a doctor measuring someone’s body weight while they are in water.Diagnostic methodsĭiagnostic tests that a doctor may perform include: The World Health Organization (WHO) states that a WHR of 0.85 or below for women means that they have a low risk for weight-related disease. However, some researchers claim that taking a person’s waist and hip circumference into consideration as separate figures provides a better assessment of health risk.Ī person can calculate their WHR by dividing their waist measurement by the circumference of their hips. This method also measures abdominal fat and can be a strong indicator of future health risks. People can measure the circumference of their waist using a soft tape measure.Ī Cameroonian population study found that waist circumference is the best predictor of screen-detected diabetes. This method measures belly fat, which is a key indicator of someone’s risk for weight-related disease. In addition to BMI, people assigned female at birth can use other methods to understand their weight, body composition, and risk for certain diseases. Learn more about the limitations of using BMI here. In severe cases, this may lead a person to miss out on preventive treatments for obesity-related conditions. The average female loses roughly 13 pounds of muscle and bone between the ages of 25 and 65, while belly fat increases to four times its previous amount.Īs a result, BMI calculations may be inaccurate for postmenopausal women, who may have high body fat percentages but maintain moderate BMI. BMI and ageĪdditionally, the proportion of muscle, fat, and bone in the body typically changes as people age. These risk factors include high blood pressure, abdominal obesity and high fasting glucose levels.
Metabolic syndrome is a collection of risk factors that increase the risk of heart disease and type 2 diabetes.
People with a moderate BMI but a high percentage of body fat may have a higher risk of developing metabolic syndrome. BMI and body fatĪ high body fat percentage has an adverse effect on health. However, the limitation of BMI to account for this may lead to complications in treatment and affect a person’s insurance. People with high levels of muscle mass and a high BMI result typically have a lower risk of death than those with a high BMI score and lower muscle mass. This means that people with high levels of muscle may have a high body weight that classifies them as being overweight or having obesity, even if they have a low body fat percentage. This is particularly true for people who are very muscular, peri- or postmenopausal, or have abdominal fat but are otherwise a moderate weight. While it correlates with body fat levels, BMI does not distinguish between the weight that comes from fat, muscle, and bone.Īs such, BMI alone may be a misleading measurement of someone’s overall health.
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