On average underwater weighing underpredicts meaning it gives you lower body fat percentages than a 4 compartment model body fat percentage by 01 to 12 although one study showed an overprediction in young women of 21. 11 19 from a clinical and epidemiological point of view it is important. Bioelectrical impedance bia bia is one of the quickest and easiest methods for predicting body fat. Bia devices go beyond just fat to provide a complete picture of someones health something you cant do with calipers. The pitfalls of body fat measurement part 3. In part 1 of this series you learned about how body fat testing is a prediction not a measurement.
Therefore the objective measurement of sarcopenia is hampered by limitations intrinsic to assessment tools. I also talked about the 2 compartment model its limitations and how hydrostatic weighing is reasonably accurate for groups but can have an error rate of as high as 6 in individuals. Now lets talk about bia. Bod pod last week i told you how body fat testing is a prediction not a measurement. In part 2 you learned about underwater weighing and in part 3 you learned about the bod pod. Overall thats pretty good.
This shortcoming can be done away with if the same area is used time and again so one can gauge the increase or reduction in body fat over time. 18 body composition techniques are based on these organizational levels. Also the cdc says. However the convienience of this method comes at a price of accuracy. These medical bia devices give important metrics like visceral fat skeletal muscle mass muscle distribution bmr and more. This means to accurately detect a decrease in body fat in most people the body fat percentage needs to drop by a minimum of 4 5.
The second disadvantage is that a person may have little body fat in arms chest and thighs and may have excess fat elsewhere in the body. The lower your body fat percentage the higher percentage of lean muscle mass you have on your frame. The 2compartment model divides the body weight into fat mass and fat free mass or ffm. Given the error rate for measuring change over time theres a good chance those numbers are way off. Dual energy x ray absorptiometry dexa. That is not accounted for in this body fat analysis.
Bod pod the pitfalls of body fat measurement part 5. Skinfolds the pitfalls of body fat measurement part 6. So an athlete with a lot of muscle for example could have a higher bmi based on their weight and height. The pitfalls of body fat measurement part 3. That means they measure the bodys fat muscle and water levels. Here are the 10 best ways to measure your body fat percentage.
Even the best techniques have a 4 5 error rate when measuring change over time. The downside to relying on bmi is that it doesnt measure body fat.