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Know where you stand with your weight
There are several ways to
determine your body fat percent available today. Gaining wide
support by medical and fitness experts is the bioelectrical
impedance analysis (BIA). From the privacy of your home, this method
offers the easiest and most convenient method by integrating
advanced technology and traditional BIA into a bathroom scale.
Waist Measurement Waist size is an additional, independent risk factor and can be used in conjunction with any other method. It reflects growing evidence that excess visceral fat - surrounding the abdominal organs - on its own increases the chance of heart disease or diabetes. Research indicates that visceral fat (waist size) is more important in the disease process than subcutaneous fat which is just under the skin ("love handles," "pinchable inches"). Abdominal fat cells appear to produce certain compounds that may influence cholesterol and glucose metabolism. In men, a waist size of >40" and in women >35" is an indication of increased health risk. Bioelectrical Impedance Body impedance is measured when a small, safe electrical signal is passed through the body, carried by water and fluids. Impedance is greatest in fat tissue, which contains only 10-20% water, while fat-free mass, which contains 70-75% water, allows the signal to pass much more easily. By using the impedance measurements along with a person's height and weight, and body type (gender, age, fitness level), it is possible to calculate the percentage of body fat, fat-free mass, hydration level, and other body composition values. Conventional BIA normally uses underwater weighing as its method of reference. Using BIA to estimate person's body fat assumes that the body is within normal hydration ranges. When a person is dehydrated, the amount of fat tissue can be overestimated. Factors that can affect hydration include not drinking enough fluids, drinking too much caffeine or alcohol, exercising or eating just before measuring, certain prescription drugs or diuretics, illness, or a woman's menstrual cycle. Measuring under consistent conditions (proper hydration and same time of day) will yield best results with this method. Because BIA can be affected by body hydration, many professionals may use this method as a means of tracking the hydration status of their patients. This is especially important for athletes who are training or performing, as well as for the chronically ill. In the traditional BIA method, a person lies on a cot and spot electrodes are placed on the hands bare feet. Electrolyte gel is applied first, and then a current of 50 kHz is introduced. BIA has emerged as a promising technique because of its simplicity, low cost, high reproducibility and noninvasiveness. BIA prediction equations can be either generalized or population-specific, allowing this method to be potentially very accurate. Selecting the appropriate equation is important to determining the quality of the results. To minimize variables caused by a person's hydration level, measurements should always be taken under constant and controlled conditions. For clinical purposes, scientists are developing a multi-frequency BIA method that may further improve the method's ability to predict a person's hydration level. New segmental BIA equipment that uses more electrodes may lead to more precise measurements of specific parts of the body.
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