What is body composition, anyway? You could say that it’s literally what you’re made of. Practically speaking, when we measure body composition, we’re measuring fat mass and lean (or fat-free) mass. Both of these components are important for different reasons: Fat is essential for insulating organs, regulating hormones, and storing nutrients and energy, and lean mass — which includes bones, skeletal muscles, water, the nervous system, and more — has too many functions to list here.
With the InBody analyzer at Baskin Clinic, we can accurately assess both fat and lean body mass and accurately estimate skeletal muscle mass. This information empowers us to move beyond weight, and instead assess the other factors that affect health.
As far back as this 2008 study, we’ve had excellent evidence that BMI (or body mass index) is an imprecise measure of health status: Nearly a quarter of individuals designated “normal weight” in the sample had cardiometabolic abnormalities (such as insulin resistance, high blood pressure or elevated triglyceride levels), compared with about half of overweight and two-thirds of obese individuals. Further, studies indicate minimal differences in health and life expectancy between the normal and overweight categories (although these differences do increase with BMI in excess of 32). Then, this 2016 study indicated that the BMI carrying the lowest risk for all causes of mortality was 27, which falls within the “overweight” category.
What this tells us is that both weight and BMI are imprecise indicators of our true health, and that people of all weights should pay attention to the various components of tissue (lean and fat) that make up our bodies.
Here’s what body composition analysis can help us assess:
Fat
When we talk about body fat, we’re usually referring to white adipose tissue. White adipose tissue is now understood to be a major secretory and endocrine organ, so you can imagine that changes in the size of that organ would have major consequences for our cardiovascular and metabolic health.
Having too little fat sounds like a problem many of us would love to have, right? Not so fast. When body fat drops below recommended levels, the risks — impaired temperature regulation, decreased energy levels, liver dysfunction, reduced physical performance, and increased risk for heart disease — start piling up faster than the warnings at the end of a pharmaceutical TV commercial. For women, amenorrhea and fertility or reproductive problems may follow.
Muscle Mass
Unless you’re a member of the disgraced Russian 2014 Winter Olympic team, having too much muscle mass isn’t exactly a problem you can anticipate having. There can be problems associated with attempting to gain muscle too quickly (like overtraining syndrome), however, muscle mass is typically self-regulating on the upper end. There’s a point at which body will cease production of the hormones necessary to continue adding bulk. Unfortunately, no such safeguard really exists on the lower end.
Studies show that people generally lose between 3-8% of their muscle mass each decade, starting in their 30s. Sarcopenia (or lack of sufficient muscle mass) is present in about 13% of individuals over age 60, and more than half of individuals over age 80. Why should you worry about not having enough muscle mass? Would it surprise you to know that there’s a strong and positive correlation between the amount of muscle mass you have and the years of fully abled life you are likely to live? Muscle mass helps to reduce inflammation in the body. The more you use your muscles, the more you benefit. Chronic inflammation is thought to contribute to a host of negative outcomes — type 2 diabetes, cancer, heart disease, and dementia, to name a few.
By contrast, the benefits of muscle include improved ability to perform activities of daily life, better walking ability, reduced risk of falls and fractures, quicker recovery from surgery, maintenance of cognitive function, reduced depression, and more.
Protein
We hear the word “protein” a lot, but don’t always know what it really means. Enzymes are proteins. Much of the body’s structures are made up of proteins. Hormones are proteins. Proteins are essential to everything that living things do. When we don’t consume enough protein in our diet, or are unable to do so, our bodies make up the difference by reconfiguring the available protein (our muscles) in order to keep everything running smoothly. For example, people who have more muscle mass before surgery recover more quickly after the procedure.
Blood Glucose
Muscle mass plays an important role in the storage of glucose (as glycogen). Exercising increases the sensitivity of muscles to insulin, the hormone that controls blood sugar levels. An active muscle is better able to absorb glucose for immediate (or later) use, and to lower blood sugar levels. The more muscle tissue you have, and the more often you use it, the more likely you are to avoid problems like type 2 diabetes.
According to guidelines from the American Council on Exercise, a healthy range of percent body fat for females is 14-31%, and a healthy range for males is 6-24%. If you’re curious about what you’re made of, or would like to discuss opportunities to optimize your body composition, contact Baskin Clinic to set up an appointment with me (Shane).