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BMI and Body Fat: What’s the Difference?

  • Marlon Mata
  • April 25, 2011

In the world of dieting and health, there are two terms that are constantly being used: BMI and body fat. What is the meaning of these terms and how can they influence your lifestyle?

BMI or Body Mass Index is a measuring tool used to determine the amount of fat a person possess in relation to his height. Body fat, on the other hand, is the fat deposited in areas around the body, from whether around the body or around the internal organs. Both provide doctors and nutritionists a basis on how they formulate an effective diet for their patients.

The use of BMI in analyzing a person’s body fat is important, since this allows you to effectively monitor your weight, as well as help you in preventing chronic diseases such as heart attacks and high blood pressure. In addition, the use of BMI serves as a quantitative method of measuring the amount of fat that a person has. It can be standardized and it can be used on different people.

Body fat measurements, on the other hand, serve a much more accurate way of determining whether a person is overweight or not. With the use of calipers and other machinery, doctors can pinpoint with accuracy the amount of fat any body part contains. With the higher accuracy of fat measurement, doctors and nutritionists are better able to develop means to eliminate them.

Now, one might wonder why most healthcare professionals would still insist on using BMI in measuring weight when there is another, more accurate, method of measurement. The answer lies in convenience. While one can obtain more accurate results when going for direct body fat measurement, the problem lies in the lack of proper equipment. Not all health centers possess the proper tools to measure body weight, so they will have to rely on more standardized measurements. The results through BMI measurements may not be as accurate, but it would fit the needs of professionals.

BMI and Body Fat: What’s the Difference?The important thing to consider here is the need for a place to start in managing excessive fat accumulation in individuals. With tools such as BMI and direct body fat measurements, doctors and other health experts can have something to base their diagnosis on. From that starting point, they can then proceed to deal with the more complicated process of helping patients reduce their weight. In the long run, both methods would work.

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