The term "body composition", is used to describe the different components that make up a person's total body weight. Total body weight is composed of lean mass (fat free mass), (muscle, bone, and organs), fat mass and water.

Weight scales determine only the total body mass. They do not tell you whether that mass is fat, lean mass or water. Body composition is more important than your weight in determining fitness and health.

 Throughout our lives, our body composition is affected both by our food intake and by our activity level. As you grow older, your ratio of fat to fat free mass usually changes. For example, if you become less active as you age, your fat mass increases and your fat-free mass decreases. That is why people lose strength, function, and mobility as they age. That is also why they become unstable and have a greater tendency to fall.

As we age our bodies typically need less energy and our metabolism slows down. Hormone changes also result in a shift to more body fat and less muscle mass. The best approach to managing these changes is to take in fewer calories, eat healthy with low amounts of fast foods, and establish regular strength training activities. This is a good way to keep up your metabolism to burn more calories.

Strength training exercises can rebuild muscle tissue even in the elderly. This also improves balance. Older people who have better balance have less fear of falling and are more willing to take part in both activities of daily living and regular physical exercise. As your metabolism goes up through life style changes, you may need to eat more, maybe up to 15% more just to maintain your weight.

So how do people determine their body composition?  Many facilities use a simple skin fold measurements to determine body fat percent. The American College of Sports Medicine says that when performed by a trained, skilled, tester, they are up to 98% accurate. Because the degree of error is potentially high, this method if not in the hands of an expert, would be unreliable. In addition, skin fold measurements only test for subcutaneous fat (fat just under the skin) which is less of a threat when it comes to diseases. Ideally, you should search out methods that measure your visceral fat (fat around your internal organs), and total body water.

Our office has a BIA (bio-impedence analyser) to measure body composition. The unit uses electrodes that run a small current through the body to a computer to give us the accurate values. Once we know the body composition, my staff works with our patients on lifestyle changes and eating choices to improve objective outcomes.

Dr. Rick