Body fat analysis
http://www.allieddiagnostics.net/specialities/body-fat-analysis/
Body fat analysis is a new, quick, accurate, non invasive and technically advanced procedure which is considered the gold standard in quantification of the body fat, lean mass and bone mineral content in the whole body or part of it.
The measurement of body fat is more accurate than body weight for assessing health. A person can have a lot of muscle, but be considered “over-weight” by many height/weight charts. The opposite can also be true – a person can have a lot of fat and little muscle and be “over-fat” but not overweight.
Too little body fat is linked to problems with normal, healthy functioning in both men and women. It can also lead to problems with reproduction in women. Too much body fat, especially when located around the abdomen, increases the risk of many diseases, including type II Diabetes, high blood pressure, stroke, heart disease, and certain cancers.
This procedure has applications in the management of patients undergoing various treatments such as parathyroid or antiviral therapeutic regiment which can cause a shift in the fat, muscle or mineral content in the body as a side effect or expected primary effect of the management.
It is also widely used among athletic and weight loss trainees who are monitoring the effect of their exercise and diet. Everyone needs a certain amount of body fat to be healthy. If you are trying to lose weight, or to get the most benefit from your exercise program, what you are often trying to do is lose fat. But, how much body fat you are able to lose depends on your body’s ratio of lean body mass to fat. For instance, if you are 150 pounds with 10% fat, your body consists of 15 pounds of fat, and 135 pounds of lean body mass. Knowing your percentage of body fat helps you to determine if your weight loss goals are realistic. And, testing your body fat will give you a better measure of fitness than weight alone. Body fat percentages can help you to establish fitness goals based on your body composition and give you an achievable goal to work towards. As your body loses pounds, it sheds fat and lean body mass.
By knowing your percentage of body fat:
- You can help you to determine if your current nutrition and exercise program is helping you to lose fat and lean body mass in the correct proportions.
- You can take measures to improve your health and reduce your risk for various diseases.
The American Council on Exercise has categorized ranges of body fat percentages as follows:
| Description | Women | Men |
|---|---|---|
| Essential fat | 10–12% | 2–4% |
| Athletes | 14–20% | 6–13% |
| Fitness | 21–24% | 14–17% |
| Acceptable | 25–31% | 18–25% |
| Overweight | 32-41% | 26-37% |
| Obese | 42%+ | 38%+ |
*The above guidelines is based on the American Council on Exercise and is subject to change.
DEXA (Dual Energy X-ray Absorptiometry) provides a higher degree of precision in only one measurement and has the ability to show exactly where fat is distributed throughout the body. It is very reliable and its results extremely repeatable; in addition, the method is safe and presents little burden to the patient.
You will be asked to lie supine on a completely open scanning bed. The whole body will be scanned form head to toe for about 5 minutes using pencil beam dual X-ray Absorbtiometry technology and the digital images of the whole body will be obtained, analyzed and then the contents registered on table.
The total radiation absorbed in the body is equal to half a day spent at the beach under the sun.
Please inform our technologist if you think there is a possibility that you might be pregnant or if you are nursing as radiation is involved.
