How is body fat measured?

Different methods have been developed to measure body fat in the body. These have various advantages and disadvantages and it is useful to have some idea of what your body fat percentage is. Certainly, many athletes often have lower body fat percentages than other people in the population and they are often most concerned with this measurement.

People often worry about fat and may think having no fat is good. Fat, though, is actually an important substance in the body and in fact, many of our nerve cells are surrounded by fat called myelin which is important in speeding up the rate of nerve impulse transmission. Some types of cholesterol in the body known as HDL cholesterol are actually good for us and help to remove fat from the bloodstream. Other types of cholesterol like LDL are harmful and can lead to deposits in the blood vessels.

What are some ways we can estimate body fat?

One of the simplest and cheapest ways to measure body fat is using a measuring device known as calipers. These calipers work by measuring the amount of fat under the skin in the hypodermis, but it does have the drawback of not measuring fat that is found elsewhere in the body such as that which surrounds the internal organs. The fat is measured by taking a skinfold and using the calipers to get a reading in millimeters. Usually fat is measured this way on the arm, thigh, and parts of the abdomen and chest.

For greater accuracy, a bioelectrical impedance machine can be used. This uses a low level current which passes through the tissues of the body. The machine measures resistance to the current, which is different depending on the type of tissue involved.

The MRI is an imaging machine that provides the most detail of soft tissues inside the body. It is thus an expensive option that can be used to measure body fat percentage (https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20672389). It does allow a person to determine the amount of fat surrounding the organs and that which is lying deep within the body. The MRI uses a magnetic field and does work well but it is normally too expensive to be used in most cases.

Hydrostatic weighing is another way that body fat can be determined. This measurement relies on a series of equations and is based on water displacement. Dual beam X-ray absorptiometry or DEXA is used to measure bone density but there is a way to use this to estimate body fat. The problem is that both the hydrostatic weighing and DEXA may not be accurate enough for most people.

If you do have too much body fat then there are some things you can do about it, such as changing your diet and starting an exercise program. Some people look into cosmetic options such as VASER liposuction in which fat tissue is removed from problem areas of the body. However, you need to understand that only small amounts of fat can be safely removed at a time in this way.

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