Body Composition Analysis & Health Scores

Fat mass & Body Fat Ratio

Fat mass is the weight of fat tissue in an individual's body, and body fat ratio is the ratio of fat mass in it's total weight.

Body fat is necessary to maintain body temperature, cushion joints, and protect internal organs. The amount of fat required for a person to perform vital functions in a healthy way varies according to gender. Due to fertility and some hormonal functions, the ratio required in women is higher than in men.

A high-fat body can harm your health in the long term. Reducing excess body fat has been shown to directly reduce the risk of certain conditions such as high blood pressure, heart disease, diabetes, and certain cancers.

The low-fat percentage may lead to osteoporosis, deterioration of skin health, and possible infertility in the following years.

If you are interested in want to maintain a healthy lifestyle, measuring and understanding your body fat is incredibly important.

Muscle Mass & Body Muscle Ratio

The total weight of your body, excluding your body’s fat mass, is Lean Body Mass (LBM).

Lean body mass includes the weights below:

• Organs
• Skin
• Bones
• Fluids in the body
• Muscle mass

Body composition devices terminology often use the terms “Lean Body Mass” and “Muscle Mass” interchangeably,

Therefore, in DigiME reports, we use the term “Muscle Mass” which is equal to lean body mass except for bone mass, and Body Muscle Ratio is the ratio of muscle mass in the individual's total weight.

Since your muscles and internal organs have a higher metabolic rate than equivalent fat weight, a good percentage of Muscle mass increases your metabolism. It facilitates the maintenance of your desired healthy weight. There is evidence that a high proportion of muscle mass reduces inflammation because small fat cells in thin individuals promote healthy function, while enlarged fat cells in overweight or obese people promote inflammation and chronic disease.

There is only one way to calculate your Muscle Mass: Analyzing your body composition. Without testing your body composition, there will be no way of knowing any gain or loss in your Muscle Mass.

Water Mass & Body Water Ratio

Water mass is the amount of water content found in your body. Body Water Ratio is the ratio of the water mass in the individual’s total weight.

The amount of water within a person is influenced by your age, sex, and fitness level.

When we are born, we are almost 80% water. By the time we reach our first birthday, that number drops to about 65%.

A significant influence on our body is the amount of fatty tissue and lean body mass that we carry. Lean body mass carries much more body water than body fat. An adult man will be about 60% water compared to an adult woman, which will be about 55% water. If you are physically active, that number will increase depending on your lean body mass.

Bone Mass

Our maximum bone size and strength is called peak bone mass. Genes play a prominent role in how much peak bone we have. For example, the actual size and structure of a individual's skeleton are determined by genetic factors.

Most people will reach their peak bone mass between the ages of 25 and 30. By the time we reach age 40, we slowly begin to lose bone mass. We can, however, take steps to avoid severe bone loss over time. For most of us, bone loss can be significantly slowed through proper nutrition and regular exercise.

Segmental Body Fat Percentages

Segmental Analysis provides body composition data in segments and the usual full-body analysis.

In DigiME segmental body fat analysis, three regions are mentioned, namely upper body, mid-body, and bottom body.

With segmental analysis, you can determine the Body Fat Ratio (%) and Weight (kg) of each region regionally.

This analysis can be evaluated for exercise planning and analyzing the body balance structure.

Waist-to-hip Ratio

The waist-to-hip ratio is one of several measurements to determine if excess weight is putting your health at risk.

Unlike your body mass index (BMI), which calculates the ratio of your weight to your height, WHR measures the ratio of your waist circumference to your hip circumference. It determines how much fat is stored on your waist, hips, and buttocks.

Not all excess weight is the same regarding your health risks.

Many studies showed that people who carry more of their weight around their midsection (an apple-shaped body) might be at a higher risk of heart disease, type 2 diabetes, and premature death than people who carry more of their weight in their hips and thighs (a pear-shaped body).

Even if your BMI is within a moderate range, your risk of disease may be increased.

According to the World Health Organization, a moderate Waist-to-hip ratio is:

0.9 or less in men

0.85 or less for women

In both men and women, a Waist-to-hip ratio of 1.0 or higher increases the risk of heart disease and other conditions that are linked to having overweight.

Waist-to-height Ratio

Waist-to-height ratio is a key measurement for the assessment of lifestyle risk and overweight. Compared to just measuring waist circumference, waist to height ratio is equally fair for short and tall persons. This calculation is valid for both children and adults.

Measuring waist to height ratio is gaining popularity in the scientific society as several studies have found this is a more valid measurement than BMI.

Ideal Weight

Essentially, ideal weight refers to an individual’s optimal weight that is proportionate to their height, it also predicts a individual’s life expectancy. Maintaining their ideal weight as you age is important to keep your health in its best condition and help your body function accordingly.

There are various formulas to determine the ideal body weight of a person with his or her age, gender, height, and other factors. Unfortunately, the body structure of each person is different from the others, and it is not possible to accurately determine the ideal weight for each person based on these values that are accepted as average.

That is why DigiME uses a hybrid formula to determine your ideal weight. Ideal weight calculated by DigiME is the optimum weight that your skeleton system can carry. DigiME also uses the ‘body type’ concept to determine your actual ideal weight.

Ideal weight is a perfect weight-loss goal to reduce your health risk.

Metabolic Age

Your metabolic age is how your basal metabolic rate (BMR), or how many calories your body burns at rest, compares to the average BMR for people of your chronological age in the general population.

Metabolic age is more of a fitness term than a medical one. It’s a way to compare your basal metabolic rate (BMR) to other people your age. It can offer a general idea of your metabolism so you can take steps to manage weight and improve health.

Basal Metabolic Rate (BMR)

It is the daily minimum energy or calorie level when your body is at rest (including sleep) to work effectively. It is the sum of the amount of energy required for significant vital actions such as nerve functions, brain functions, cell renewal and growth, body temperature control, blood circulation, and breathing. The basic metabolic rate is 65-75% of the daily calorie consumption, and the remaining 25-35% is the daily physical activity.

Your BMR measurement can be used as the minimum basis for a diet program. Additional calories can be added depending on your activity level. The more active you are, youburn more calories and you build more muscle, so you need to make sure you consume enough calories to keep your body fit and healthy.

Increasing your muscle mass helps increase your BMR, which increases the number of calories you burn and helps reduce body fat levels. A person with a high BMR burns more calories than low BMR while resting.

Factors affecting basal metabolic rate:

• Metabolic rate slows down as age progresses, as the rate of muscle decreases in the body. Especially after the age of 40, a decline occurs between 2% and 5% every ten years.
• 80% of the basal metabolic rate difference between individuals is due to the difference in lean mass ratio. As the ratio of lean mass of the body to fat mass increases, the basal metabolic rate also increases.
• During pregnancy, a 22-33% increase in basal metabolic rate is observed.
• When the body is starving, the basal metabolic rate decreases. For example, in shock diets below 1000 calories per day, the body slows down all its systems for survival and tends to conserve existing energy.
• While in sleep, the basal metabolic rate decreases. The speed measured during sleep is 10% lower than measured while awake.
• When the endocrine glands do not produce a sufficient thyroid hormone, the basal metabolic rate may decrease by 30-50%, while it may double if normal.
• As people age, their metabolic rate changes. As a child matures and reaches its peak, basal metabolism increases around the age of 16 or 17, then typically begins to decline. A slow BMR will make it difficult to lose body fat and total weight.

Visceral Fat Score

Visceral fat is the fat that surrounds your abdominal organs deep within your body. You cannot always feel or see. In fact, you can have a flat stomach and still have visceral fat. Visceral fat is wrapped around large organs such as liver, pancreas, and kidney. Visceral fat provides some distance between each organ.

Healthy visceral fat levels help isolate and protect your organs and play a role in your endocrine and immune function. But research has shown that excess visceral fat triggers type 2 diabetes, insulin resistance, heart disease and even some cancers.

It’s hard to decide how much visceral fat you have. However, a protruding belly and a large waist are two signs that you have too much.

DigiME gives visceral fat scores between 0 and 9 based on all available information. A rating between 0 and 4.9 indicates  healthy visceral fat level. A grade between 4.9 and 9 indicates that you have excessive visceral fat.

Body Mass Index (BMI)

It is a standard weight / height ratio used as a general indicator of health. It can be calculated by dividing your weight (in kilograms) by the square of your height (in meters). The ideal weight is obtained by multiplying the desired BMI by the length of the square.

The most common method used when calculating the height-weight ratio is body mass index calculation. It is obtained by dividing the weight by the square of the neck. Although it may vary somewhat depending on the body structure of the person, in general, a value between 20-25 is considered normal.

The ideal body mass index accepts is 22 in men and 21 in women.

The table showing the BMI and body weight values for adults aged 19-24 is as follows: