Body Fat Measurement vs. Body Mass Index – A Comparison

With studies revealing new insights into body weight and health issues, people no longer talk about body weight by itself. For quite some time, the body mass index or BMI has been the accepted form of determining the ideal weight of a person, and the deviation from this ideal weight that needs to be corrected. This is the weight of a person expressed as a ratio of his height.

Simply spoken, the BMI is expressed as the body weight in kgs/the height in sq. meters.

People with elevated BMIs have been known to be more susceptible to diabetes mellitus, cancer, hypertension and hypercholesterolemia. Research also reveals that people with higher BMIs have higher incidences of premature death. It is generally recommended that a person’s BMI should remain in the range of 18.5 – 24.9. People having lower BMIs are said to be underweight, whereas those having higher (25-29.9) are overweight. People with BMIs greater than 30 are said to be obese and should be seriously concerned about weight loss and lifestyle control.

However, recently, experts have started pointing out some limitations of the BMI measurement as an ideal tool to determine healthy weight. It does not distinguish between fat mass and fat free mass, which may yield incorrect interpretations. Fat free mass, that is, lean muscle, is actually desirable as it burns fat. People with more lean tissue may have a higher BMI and yet be healthier compared to people with higher fat percentage and a lower BMI.

Furthermore, recent research points out that the location of the body fat is important in deciding propensity towards developing a disease. BMI does not give any indication of about the location of body fat in an overweight or obese person. Recent developments suggest that the body fat expressed as a percentage of total body weight is a better indicator of health. A person with low body fat is deemed healthier than a person having the right BMI but more fat.

For this purpose, the body fat is measured in several ways. Commonly, skin fold calipers ‘pinch’ a section of the flesh to determine the fat in it. Another method, called Bioelectrical Impedance (BEI), measures body fat electronically.

However, both the above methods should not be employed immediately after exercising. The skin fold caliper method requires an expert to measure the different levels of fat in various areas of the body. The hydration level of the body greatly affects the fat calculated through the BEI method.

Underwater weighing, which involves submerging the person in water and calculating the fat from the volume of displaced water is another effective method of measuring body fat. However, most people do not have access to the equipment for this.

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According to experts, normal females have body fat levels of 22-25%, while normal males have 15-18%. Lean and athletic structures have less than the normal level of body fat. Women having 29-35% body fat are considered over-weight, whereas males are labeled over-weight if their body fat is more than 20%. It is generally recommended that people retain their body fat levels as close as possible to ‘lean’ structures.

Proponents of the body fat theory also suggest that the location of the body fat is vital in determining risk factors. For example, excess deep abdominal fat which accumulates around the vital organs has been linked to diabetes, heart disease etc. Fat around the hips and thighs is considered relatively less risky. The measurement of the waist circumference is a good indicator of fat related disease propensity.

As is evident, body fat measurement is a more efficient method of calculating the healthy body weight compared to the BMI. However, common body fat measurement methods have a margin of error of 1-4%, and are not easily accessible by everybody. BMI, on the other hand, is a simple mathematical calculation which can be used by anybody.

HealthStatus.com/de/ does provide both a bmi calculator and a body fat estimator as online tools that you can try, and of course they are free!

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HealthStatus has been operating since 1998 providing the best interactive health tools on the Internet, millions of visitors have used our blood alcohol, body fat and calories burned calculators. The HealthStatus editorial team has continued that commitment to excellence by providing our visitors with easy to understand high quality health content for many years. Our team of health professionals, and researchers use peer reviewed studies as source elements in our articles. Our high quality content has been featured in a number of leading websites, USA Today, the Chicago Tribune, Live Strong, GQ, and many more.

Buddy Thomas
24. September 2017
Buddy Thomas
24. September 2017
It is crazy that someone who is naturally more built and has more muscle mass can be considered obese according to the BMI scale. While someone like that may not be obese given their lean muscle mass, the heart has to work harder the more mass you are carrying around in general I believe.

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Written by HealthStatus Team
Medical Writer & Editor

HealthStatus has been operating since 1998 providing the best interactive health tools on the Internet, millions of visitors have used our blood alcohol, body fat and calories burned calculators. The HealthStatus editorial team has continued that commitment to excellence by providing our visitors with easy to understand high quality health content for many years. Our team of health professionals, and researchers use peer reviewed studies as source elements in our articles. Our high quality content has been featured in a number of leading websites, USA Today, the Chicago Tribune, Live Strong, GQ, and many more.

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