Although a certain amount of body fat is needed to insure good health, excess body fat has been found to dramatically increase the risk of diseases such as cancer, diabetes, and heart disease.

Sedentary people may gain fat and lose muscle without any noticeable change in their weight. Conversely, individuals who exercise may not experience a large change in weight, yet their muscle mass is likely increasing at the same time as they are also losing body fat.

Scientific evidence shows that a healthy body composition will increase your lifespan by reducing the risk of heart disease, cancer, diabetes, insulin resistance, etc. A healthy body composition is one that includes a lower percentage of body fat and a higher percentage of non-fat mass , which includes muscle, bones, and organs.

Knowing your body composition can help you assess your health and fitness level. Scales can be misleading as body weight is comprised of muscle, fat, and bone added all together. As part of your concierge membership, we provide the included service of performing a DEXA Body Composition scan to assess your health better.

During your concierge wellness exam, we are promoting preventative health for a better you! We work towards keeping you on track with your fitness and nutrition goals to maintain healthy proportions of body mass.

In addition to analyzing these results, the scan also provides an accurate depiction of your bone density. Your bone health is also essential in preventing bone loss through the years with the prevention of developing osteoporosis. This image depicts a person as they age, remaining the same in weight and BMI , but their body fat percentage is increasing with time.

As we age, the body tends to store more fat due to lowered metabolism and hormonal changes. As you can see in the example, her Resting Metabolism decreases proportionally as her body fat percentage increases.

One way to measure your health is by calculating your metabolic age. Your Basal Metabolic Rate is compared to your chronological age group to determine whether your metabolic age is lower or higher than your actual age. Knowing all about your body composition can help you determine the general state of your overall health.

Even if you appear to be healthy on the outside and weigh in at a seemingly normal weight on the scale, you may still have an unhealthy or altered body composition.

If your ratio of body fat is much higher than your fat-free mass, then you could be putting yourself at risk for severe health problems such as obesity, high blood pressure, type 2 diabetes, heart disease, fatigue, cancer, and more.

Although body fat is generally associated with poor health, some fat is actually necessary for overall good health, as it can help protect internal organs, regulate hormones, and provide us with energy.

In the United States, more than one-third of all adults are obese and have unhealthy body composition. As obesity rates continue to grow, so will the rates for major diseases and illnesses such as type 2 diabetes, heart disease, cancer, and more.

By reducing your overall amount of body fat, you can improve your body composition and overall quality of life, as well as extend your lifespan. Your overall body composition can be determined with a DXA scan and body composition analysis.

A DXA total body composition scan will not only provide you with a ratio of your body fat vs. fat-free mass, but will also tell you where your problem areas lie so you can make changes to your health right now. Please note: All DXA scans are only available to current Rock Creek Wellness Premier Care patients.

Due to the Kansas Board of Healing Arts regulations, only patients under the care of one of our providers may have a DXA analysis performed in our office.

To inquire about becoming a patient, please call the office or click here. The importance of body composition to your overall health. Factors that can lead to unhealthy body composition In the United States, more than one-third of all adults are obese and have unhealthy body composition.

Here are some of the most important factors that can lead to altered body composition: Lack of exercise and physical activity Eating large portion sizes and overeating in general High-fat, high-sugar diet Lack of whole foods in the diet such as fruits, vegetables, nuts, seeds, legumes Excessive alcohol intake Benefits of having a healthy body composition By reducing your overall amount of body fat, you can improve your body composition and overall quality of life, as well as extend your lifespan.

Here are just some of the benefits of having a healthy body composition: Normal blood pressure level Improved quality of sleep Improved mood and self-confidence Increased energy and endurance throughout the day Reduced pain in joints, hips, and lower back Improved blood circulation — leading to lower risk for heart disease Higher fertility rates and lower risk for pregnancy-related complications Improved breathing, respiration, and lung function Improved glucose tolerance and insulin sensitivity Your overall body composition can be determined with a DXA scan and body composition analysis.

Search Search. Recent Blogs. A Closer Look: What Is Microneedling? One popular method frequently used at home is bioelectrical impedance analysis BIA , in which low-voltage electric currents circulate through the body via electrodes.

BIA scales are the most widely used means of assessing body composition via bioelectrical impedance analysis from home. If DEXA scans have a higher level of accuracy, having your body composition regularly checked to track muscle gains or fat loss via other less expensive methods such as bioelectrical impedance is very useful.

By definition, a healthy body composition includes a low proportion of body fat, as well as a higher proportion of fat-free mass. Figure: a healthy body composition expressed as a ratio of male and female bodies. Although your body requires a certain amount of body fat to maintain organ functions, a lower body-fat percentage is usually a sign of good health.

That said, charts from the American Council on Exercise may help you to better understand what is a healthy body fat percentage. To know how much muscle mass you should have, it is important to differentiate the 3 types of muscles in the human body: cardiac muscles, smooth muscles, and skeletal muscles.

A research paper on the importance of skeletal muscle strength for healthy aging indicates that muscle mass naturally declines with age, a phenomenon called sarcopenia.

Note: when measured via bioelectrical impedance, "muscle mass" usually includes skeletal muscle, smooth muscle and the water contained in these muscles. Normal ranges for total body water TBW :.

Carrying sufficient muscle mass is necessary for good health, as it helps you burn more calories, builds protection against certain chronic diseases such as diabetes, and improves your overall metabolic rate.

A number of factors can affect your body composition levels, keeping track of your body composition over time—including bone and muscle mass—can help you and your healthcare provider make the right decisions for your health. Among the main factors that influence body composition, we count:.

Furthermore, the increase in fat mass FM is distributed more specifically in the abdominal region, an area associated with cardiovascular disease and diabetes.

Body composition changes with aging: The cause or the result of alterations in metabolic rate and macronutrient oxidation? Females naturally have—and need—more body fat than males. In terms of body fat types , they usually carry less visceral fat, but more subcutaneous fat, which is stored around the hips and thighs.

Changes in fat mass typically appear after puberty. Many large-scale studies have identified different types of genetic factor that influence the body fat distribution. Nutrition, especially the amount of calories you are eating, can significantly alter body composition over time and if associated with physical activity.

The importance of proteins is acknowledged for people who wish to gain muscle. The growth hormone or GH is known for increasing energy expenditure. People with metabolic disturbances who suffer from GH deficiencies will have more difficulty in burning calories, which may result in more visceral adiposity.

In women, cortisol, as well as estrogen and progesterone, play an important role in fat distribution. Women with a good hormonal balance will find it easier to control their body composition.

In men, studies have shown that lower levels of testosterone are associated with increased body fat. Exercise is key to achieving a healthy body composition. When you exercise, your muscles will develop: they grow and get stronger. On the other hand, sedentary behavior will accelerate fat deposition and may cause obesity.

Scoring enough sleep can increase your metabolic rate—which is key to burning calories. On the other hand, even if insufficient sleep or irregular sleep patterns plays a major role in the health status of individuals, it is still unclear how poor sleep negatively affects your body composition.

Just like carbohydrates, alcohol suppresses fat oxidation. In other words, it reduces the ability of your body to burn fat for energy. People who appear thin are often assumed to be healthy. Carrying too much body fat can be dangerous to your health, because it increases insulin resistance which might lead to type 2 diabetes and the risk for cardiovascular diseases.

Source: Correlation between body composition and risk factors for cardiovascular disease and metabolic syndrome. Other changes in body composition may also impact your health—for example, if you notice a decrease in bone mass with age, you may want to check with your doctor.

The short answer: exercise! Physical activity can help you increase your amount of lean muscle mass, which has been shown to have a number of health benefits, including fighting obesity and protecting against diabetes and insulin resistance.

A review in Advances in Nutrition noted that endurance and resistance exercises helped to preserve muscle mass during weight loss, and resistance training helps to improve muscle strength. Our bones tend to deteriorate as we age, and there is also a reduction in bone formation. This can lead to osteoporosis, which can increase the risk of dangerous falls and fractures.

A report in Therapeutic Advances in Musculoskeletal Disease notes that physical exercise can help, citing studies that show that activity can improve bone mass , and even prevent bone loss in women. You may also want to reduce excess storage fat, especially around the belly.