We’ve all heard about how body mass potentially affects our health. BMI has been a topic of conversation since a 1998 NIH study indicating what body mass index is considered overweight and obese. But in the last few years, strictly using BMI to indicate whether a person is potentially healthy or not has come into question.
Classic BMI statistics do not take into account the proportion of muscle, water and fat within a person’s body composition. Two people who are the same size and weight could have extremely different fat-to-muscle ratio. So why should they be considered as having the same health analysis? BMI may oversimplify health risks. Two people with the same height and weight would have the same BMI and health risks—even if one of them has a healthy amount of fat and high muscle mass.
Why you should focus on Body Fat Percentage over BMI
BMI is determined by dividing your weight by your height squared. BMI is just a single value that does not differentiate between fat or muscle mass. If you use BMI to track your fitness progress, you will never know if the changes were to fat or muscle. When tracking fitness and health BFP is a better determiner of long-term concerns.
Ditch the scale
Weight loss is not the same as fat loss. As we age, we naturally lose some of our heavy, dense muscle mass, and a lower number on the scale doesn’t always mean we’re in peak condition. The key to physical fitness is losing excess body fat, not overall body weight.
Your weight is made up of muscle, fat, bone, and water, and the proportions of these different elements are known as your body composition. At Renew Health & Wellness, you can take a body composition test on the InBody 380. This shows you how many pounds of muscle, fat, bone, and water you actually have. Armed with this data, you can make little adjustments that lead to major long-term improvements.
Muscle Imbalances
Muscle imbalances are fairly common in today’s more sedentary population. People who have office jobs tend to have a more developed upper body but an underdeveloped lower body. This can lead to an increased risk of injury as we age. In addition, many people have an imbalance of muscle mass from one side of their body to the other. The health of our joints is dependent on strong ligament and muscle support. Weaker muscles can have an impact on joint health as we age.
Which Populations May Have Unbalanced Body Mass?
While any person can theoretically have an underdeveloped body segment, some groups may be at more risk than others. Here are a few populations who may have an elevated risk of having underdeveloped body segments:
- Sedentary Adults: Young or middle aged adults who do not exercise commonly have below-average mass in their legs, which may be due to having jobs that require sitting for long periods.
- “Skinny Fat” individuals (sarcopenic obese) are those who have too much body fat and not enough muscle mass for optimal health. This muscle and fat imbalance can result in healthy body weight, often leading the person to believe that they do not need to make any changes.
- The Elderly: It is common for the elderly to have low muscle mass due to hormone changes and decreased activity. Their ability to stay mobile as they age is impacted, putting them at greater risk of falling and breaking bones.
Take Control of Your Health
By learning about the balance of muscle mass, body fat, and body water in each of your limbs and your trunk, you get insight into:
- Your current health status.
- Risk of chronic disease.
- Which exercise and nutrition plans are most effective for you.
Contact Renew Health & Wellness in Louisville for your body composition analysis as part of your wellness journey.
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Portions of this article and images: Copyright 2023 InBody USA.