If you’re interested in body composition analysis and are half thinking about having one done, you no doubt have a number of questions.
Below are some answers to a few of the most common questions we get asked, but if you have one of your own, do get in touch and we’ll do our best to answer it.
Why is this system better than using body fat scales?
Body fat scales can be bought on the high street for as little as £100. They also use “bioelectrical impedance” to measure body composition, so you’d think that they’d give you similar results to our method of testing using the Bodystat 1500mdd?
Sadly, as is often the case in life, you get what you pay for and if it’s an accurate body fat reading you’re after, then that £100 is money down the drain.
The two reasons why they are so inaccurate is firstly down to a simple rule of physics and secondly down to simple biology.
The scales work by the user standing on the metal (bioelectrical impedance) plates on the scales in bare foot.
The scales then get to work and send a current from one plate / electrode to the other in a matter of seconds, giving you a body fat reading based on the principle of bioelectrical impedance.
The trouble with this is that laws of physics say that a current will always take the shortest possible route to it’s destination. So the current testing your body composition will travel from one foot plate to the other taking the shortest path - meaning it will ignore your upper body and only measure the composition of your lower body - basically your legs.
This reading will then be given to you as your overall body fat - giving you an incredibly inaccurate result. In those people who carry alot of their weight in their lower body the result can be devastating and give readings as high as 40-50% body fat when often this is not the case at all.
If this wasn’t bad enough, further inaccuracy is given due to the fact that the current from the plates has to pass through your feet before it goes through your body. The skin on the bottom of your feet (think heels and balls of your feet) is incredibly thick, increasing the resistance and causing the fat percentage reading to be even more inaccurate.
All in all, the scales make for incredibly inaccurate and often pretty depressing readings.
The Bodystat we use not only takes a measurement of your entire body (from your hands to your feet) but as the electrodes are placed on the back of your hand and top of your foot where the skin is very think, the readings are infinitely more accurate.
The fact that the Bodystat 1500mdd is used is clinical practices and hospitals, clearly proves that the accuracy it offers is a world apart from the body fat scales.
Can anyone be tested with your device?
Most people can be tested, but there are a few exceptions.
We don’t recommend that anyone who has a pacemaker or a woman in the early stages of pregnancy should be tested.
Other than that, anyone can have a full body composition analysis without any risks.
Does the scan tell you your waist to hip ratio and the associated health risks?
To get an accurate measurement and to calculate any health risks associated with a high waist - hip ratio, we will need to quickly measure your waist and hips manually. This information is then put into the device and your report will flag up any health concerns.
What is the difference between the Basal Metabolic Rate and the Estimated Average Requirement?
There is a subtle difference between these two terms and they are often confused.
Your Basal Metabolic Rate is the number of calories your body require at rest Your Estimated Average Requirement is how many calories you require when active.
What’s involved in an advanced body composition assessment?
The Bodystat 1500mdd - you can’t compromise on accuracy.