Question

NTR 222

Describe two methods for measuring body fat and one method for measuring body fat location. Describe how percent body fat and body fat location affect health, morbidity and mortality.

Answer 1

Ans) The most common assessments are anthropometric and include weight, stature, abdominal circumference, and skinfold measurements. More complex methods include bioelectrical impedance, dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry, body density, and total body water estimates.

- Body composition is an interdependent, multifaceted quantity. It is not yet possible to describe and quantify the tissues in the body with consistent levels of accuracy. It is hopeful that in the near future this goal will be attained in laboratory settings, but clinical or field procedures may remain relatively inaccurate and subject dependent. One can, however, determine when the distribution of tissues in the body's composition shifts toward a greater-than-normal level of fat or adipose tissue. In an individual with such a condition, the risk for disease and early death increases, but the magnitude of the shift relative to the threshold for the increased risk is affected by the age, gender, race, and living habits of the individual. Some of this change may be a normal manifestation of age, but it is evident that increased amounts of internal adipose tissue in the abdomen put one at the greatest health risk.