Practical Implications:
- See table for proposed healthy body fat ranges.
- This approach and initial findings provide the groundwork
for establishing international standards for healthy body
fat ranges.
|
ABSTRACT
| Objective:
International agencies have now adopted BMI standards for
underweight (i.e., <18.5), overweight (>=25) and obesity
(>=30). There are no accepted % fat levels corresponding
to these ranges despite increasing interest in quantifying
body fat.
Design:
Body fat was measured in US, UK & Japan using state-of-the-art
methods (4-compartment [C] method [measured ³H²O
dilution vol; body density; bone mineral] in 2 countries
and DXA in all 3), and % fat prediction equations were developed
based on BMI and other independant variables. Subjects
were multiethnic healthy adults (n for US, UK & Japan,
925, 205 & 924) with BMI<=35 ranging in age from 18-94
years.
Results:
Strong correlations existed between 4-C and DXA % fat for
US & UK centers (R²=0.85-0.94, p's<0.001). DXA
% fat prediction models at all 3 centers were |
similar and included BMI and age as in dependant
variables (R²-0.50-0.81, p's<0.001). There were small
between-center differences in predicted % fat (max 3%) that varied
with age and gender. The mean predicted % fat for 3 countries
is shown in the table. This approach and initial findings
provide the groundwork for establishing international standards
for healthy body fat ranges.
| Mean Predicted % Fat For
3 Countries |
|
|
FEMALES |
|
Age |
20-39 |
40-59 |
60-79 |
| BMI |
18.5 |
20.5 |
21.3 |
22.1 |
| 25 |
35.0 |
35.8 |
36.6 |
| 30 |
41.9 |
42.7 |
43.5 |
|
|
MALES |
|
Age |
20-39 |
40-59 |
60-79 |
| BMI |
18.5 |
8.5 |
10.2 |
11.9 |
| 25 |
21.2 |
22.9 |
24.5 |
| 30 |
27.2 |
28.9 |
30.5 |
|
*Reprinted from Tanita Corporation
of America, Inc.
Source: D. Gallagher*, S.B. Heymsfield*, M. Heo*, S. Jebb**, P. Murgatroyd**,
Y. Sakamoto***
*Obesity Research Center, St. Luke's-Roosevelt Hospital Center, Columbia
University, New York City
**Cambridge University, UK
***Kashiwa Hospital, Jikei Univ. Japan
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