Determination of body density
The density of body fat is 0.9 g/mL, whereas that of the fat-free body mass is 1.10 g/ mL. This means that, if the density of the body can be calculated, then the proportion of fat and lean tissue can be calculated.
Density is determined by weighing in air, and again totally submerged in water (the density of water = 1.0 g/mL), or by determining the volume of the body by its displacement of water when submerged. Neither procedure is particularly pleasant for the experimental subject, and considerable precision is necessary in the measurements; at 10% of body weight as fat, which is extremely low, density = 1.08 g/mL, while at 50% fat, which is very high, density = 1.00 g/mL.
Although direct determination of body density is the standard against which all the other techniques listed below must be calibrated, it is clearly a research technique and not appropriate for general use.
|
BMI |
Excess weight (kg) |
Per cent of desirable weight | |
|
Desirable |
20-25 |
- |
100 |
|
Acceptable but not desirable |
25-27 |
< 5 |
100-110 |
|
Overweight |
25-30 |
5-15 |
110-120 |
|
Obese |
30-40 |
15-25 |
120-160 |
|
Severely obese |
> 40 |
> 25 |
> 160 |
|
Age (years) |
Desirable BMI |
|
19-24 |
19-24 |
|
25-34 |
20-25 |
|
35-44 |
21-26 |
|
45-54 |
22-27 |
|
55-64 |
23-28 |
|
> 65 |
24-29 |
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