How can the amount of fat in the human body be determined?
There are various methods for determining body fat percentage: The most common is the mechanical method using a caliper, which measures the thickness of the skin folds at 10 different points on the body. Disadvantages are that only the subcutaneous fat tissue is measured and the organ fat is left out and that there is a certain subjectivity due to the locations to be chosen. However, the method is well suited for documenting a development, especially since, unlike other methods, it is unaffected by alcohol and coffee consumption.
In addition, there are several chemical, electrical or ultrasound-supported procedures. The interpretation of the body fat percentage, taking into account age and physique, is as follows: For women, depending on age, values of approx. 22-35% are considered normal and values of 34-41% are considered high, values below this are considered low and values above this are considered very high.
For men, depending on age, values of about 11-23% are considered normal and values of 22-28% are high. For men, values of 2-5 % are considered vital and for women 10-13 %. Women have a higher percentage of body fat mainly in order to have access to additional reserves during pregnancy.
Body Mass Index (BMI)
The Body Mass Index (BMI) is a tool for assessing the ratio of body mass to body weight of a person. It is calculated by dividing the weight (in kilograms) by the height (in meters) squared. For example, a person who is 1.80 m tall and weighs 75 kg would have a BMI of approximately 23.1.
As a guideline for the height of the BMI, however, since the BMI does not take into account gender, stature, age or muscle mass, it should be interpreted very carefully, taking into account a person’s individual characteristics, and should only serve as a rough guideline. A competitive athlete with a BMI of 29 does not necessarily have to be overweight, nor does a young woman with a BMI of 18 have to be underweight. There are separate, age-specific guidelines for children, as the threshold values for a healthy BMI vary greatly depending on age, e.g. during puberty.
The correlation between BMI and morbidity or mortality is still controversial today. While overweight and obesity clearly lead to an increased risk of e.g. cardiovascular diseases, some studies show that people who are overweight even have a slightly reduced mortality rate in comparison (obesity paradox).
- BMI <18.5: Underweight
- BMI 18.5-25: Normal weight
- BMI 25-30 Overweight
- BMI >30: Adiposity
