Question

What is the rationale of measuring body composition?

What does BMI indicate about an individual?

How are anorexics different from bulimics?

Answer 1

Measurement of body composition is very important because it gives the percentage values of muscle, fat, bone, and water in the human body. It helps in the determination of physical fitness of any individual. It plays a significant role when any individual is on a weight loss program. It is one of the indicators of health which can be useful in nutritional assessment of any individual. This is the basic rationale of measuring body composition.

BMI (Body mass index) indicates the ratio of the body mass to the square of the body height of an individual. It is used to indicate the underweight, normal weight, overweight or obesity condition of any individual. It also indicates the physical growth of any individual.

Anorexics are different from bulimics. Anorexics have poor caloric intake due to inadequate eating whereas bulimics have poor caloric intake because they vomits soon after the meal as a result of which digestion and absorption could not occur. Anorexics have fear of weight gain as a result of which they do not eat and are most commonly associated with weight loss whereas bulimics eats but they use various methods of purging which includes vomiting, use of laxatives, excessive exercise, use of salt water, etc. The perception of distorted body image is present in anorexics whereas it is absent in bulimics.