Determination of body composition is a crucial criteria for proper nutritional assessment.
Normal bodies usually consist of 16–20% protein, 3–5% ash (mineral matter), 10–12% fat, and 60–70% water. Age, diet, genetic background, physical activity, hormonal status and gender can affect not only the proximate composition of the whole body, that is, the magnitude of each of these components, but also their distribution. Body composition can be measured directly or estimated indirectly.
There are locations in the body where subcutaneous fat can be assessed using calipers to measure skin-fold thickness and thereby estimate body fatness. The fold below the upper arm (triceps fold) and the fold at the iliac crest are frequently used locations. Other locations include the abdominal fold and the thigh fold. Knowing the composition of the body, particularly its fat content, suggests that there should be ways of estimating body energy need. There are many equations to calculate body fatness but the more popular now is the use of body mass index (BMI). This is a useful term, in that it is an index of the body weight (kg) divided by the height (meters) squared (wt/ht2). BMI correlates with body fatness and with the risk of obesity-related disease or diseases for which obesity is a compounding factor. Overweight is defi ned as BMI between 25 and 30, and obesity is a BMI over 30. The BMI varies with age. A desirable BMI for people of age 19 to 24 is between 19 and 24, while that for people of age 55 to 64 is between 23 and 28. While simple in concept, this term does not assess body composition per se. It only provides a basis for assessing the health risks associated or presumed to be associated with excess body fatness. BMI applies only to normal individuals, and not the super athlete or the body builder, who may be quite heavy yet have little body fat
Normal bodies usually consist of 16–20% protein, 3–5% ash (mineral matter), 10–12% fat, and 60–70% water. Age, diet, genetic background, physical activity, hormonal status and gender can affect not only the proximate composition of the whole body, that is, the magnitude of each of these components, but also their distribution. Body composition can be measured directly or estimated indirectly.
There are locations in the body where subcutaneous fat can be assessed using calipers to measure skin-fold thickness and thereby estimate body fatness. The fold below the upper arm (triceps fold) and the fold at the iliac crest are frequently used locations. Other locations include the abdominal fold and the thigh fold. Knowing the composition of the body, particularly its fat content, suggests that there should be ways of estimating body energy need. There are many equations to calculate body fatness but the more popular now is the use of body mass index (BMI). This is a useful term, in that it is an index of the body weight (kg) divided by the height (meters) squared (wt/ht2). BMI correlates with body fatness and with the risk of obesity-related disease or diseases for which obesity is a compounding factor. Overweight is defi ned as BMI between 25 and 30, and obesity is a BMI over 30. The BMI varies with age. A desirable BMI for people of age 19 to 24 is between 19 and 24, while that for people of age 55 to 64 is between 23 and 28. While simple in concept, this term does not assess body composition per se. It only provides a basis for assessing the health risks associated or presumed to be associated with excess body fatness. BMI applies only to normal individuals, and not the super athlete or the body builder, who may be quite heavy yet have little body fat
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