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Body composition is a method of understanding the body’s core components, which includes body fat, protein, minerals, and body water.
In this way, your total body weight can be described more accurately and a better glimpse into your overall health can be provided compared to using traditional methods such as the Body Mass Index (BMI) measurement matrix.
In a body composition analysis, changes in body fat mass, muscle mass, and body fat percentage can be shown and tracked effectively.
Importance and benefits of body composition measurement
Are you aware of healthy weight ranges? If yes, do you know to achieve your healthy weight?
Most diet and fitness goals focus on weight loss or gain. However, two people of the same gender and body weight may look different from each other because they have a different body composition. Hence, their diet and fitness goal should be unique to each individual.
In fact, if you only focus on losing weight without understanding your body composition, you may end up losing muscle mass and eventually sabotage your efforts in your fitness journey.
As mentioned, body composition describes the amount of body fat, muscle, minerals, and water in your body. Measuring your body composition will tell you your own body’s unique makeup and help you identify areas to work on to improve your overall health and wellness.
By differentiating between muscle and body fat mass percentage, body composition analysis helps to:
- Determine the cause of your weight fluctuations, whether it is muscle gain, fat loss, or anything in between
- Find your baseline so that you can know which component you need to lose, gain, or maintain
- Assess your body fat percentage so that you can focus on body fat loss, not just total weight loss
- Maximise your workout routine to fit your unique health and fitness goals
- Calculate your caloric needs and create a personalised nutrition plan
By doing so, you can make more informed decisions to improve your body composition by setting realistic goals, monitoring your progress, and staying motivated.
Whatever your goals may be, an important thing to keep in mind during your health journey is there is more to being healthy than looking thin.
Body Composition Analysis (BCA) Tool
Studies have shown that the InBody DSM-BIA body composition analyser is an effective tool that provides a comprehensive result sheet to help professionals to:
- Obtain objective measurements of muscle, fat, and visceral fat to assess disease risk and obesity
- Detect fluid imbalances resulting from inflammation
- Monitor outcomes of interventions aimed to improve glycaemic control and prevent worsening of complications related to certain medical condition such as diabetes.
Disclaimer: InBody devices should be used as an adjunct tool for clinical decision making and are not intended to diagnose or treat any diseases.
Make an appointment for Body Composition Analysis at Gleneagles Hospitals
To make an appointment for Body Composition Analysis, please contact the health screening centre at the Gleneagles Hospital nearest to you.
