Tanita BF-592J instruction manual Principles of Estimating Body FAT Percentage

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PRINCIPLES OF ESTIMATING BODY FAT PERCENTAGE

Tanita Body Fat Monitor/Scales allow you to determine your body fat percentage at home as easily as you measure your weight.

What is Body Fat Percentage?

Body fat percentage is the percentage of fat in your body. Too much body fat has been linked to conditions such as high blood pressure, heart disease, diabetes, cancer, and other disabling conditions.

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What is Total Body Water Percentage?

Total Body Water Percentage is the total amount of fluid in a person’s body expressed as a percentage of their total weight. Approximately 50 –65% of the weight of a healthy person is water. Water plays a vital role in many of the body’s processes and is found in every cell, tissue and organ. Maintaining a healthy total body water percentage will ensure the body functions efficiently and will reduce the risk of developing associated health problems.

How To Measure Total Body Water?

Deuterium Dilution Method is currently used as a typical method to measure a total body water percentage. This instrument estimates the total body percentage by the analysis (Multiple Regression Analysis) based on the parameter found by the BIA method.

Body Fat Ranges for Standard Adults 1, 2

	Underfat		Healthy	Overfat Obese
Female 20–39
Age 40–59
60–79
0%	10%	20%	30%	40%
Male 20–39
Age 40–59
60–79

1Based on NIH/WHO BMI Guidelines.

2As reported by Gallagher, et al, at NY Obesity Research Center.

To determine the percentage of body fat that is appropriate for your body, consult your physician.

A mutuality over 0.8 is obtained between this instrument and the “deuterium dilution method”.

Note: Deuterium Dilution Method is in terms of total body water based on the analysis of the dilution of orally ingested deuterium oxide in urine.

Underfat Healthy Overfat Obese

The BIA Method

Tanita Body Fat Monitor/Scales use the BIA (Bioelectrical Impedance Analysis) technique. In this method, a safe, low-level electrical signal is passed through the body. It is difficult for the signal to flow through fat in the human body, but easy to flow through moisture in the muscle and other body tissues. The difficulty with which a signal flows through a substance is called impedance. So the more resistance, or impedance, the signal encounters, the higher the body fat reading.

Tanita’s patented “foot-pad” design sends a safe, low- level electrical signal through the body to determine its composition.

Healthy Total Body Water Percentage (%TBW)

The average total body water percentage ranges for a healthy adult are:

Female: 45 to 60%

Male : 50 to 65%

Note: The total body water percentage of a person with a high percentage of body fat may fall below the average healthy ranges.

Daily Rhythm of Total Body Water

Hydration FIuctuations

Hydration levels in the body may affect body fat readings. Readings are usually highest in the early waking hours, since the body tends to be dehydrated after a long night’s sleep. For the most accurate reading using BIA, a person should take a body fat percentage reading at a consistent time of day under consistent conditions.

Besides this basic cycle of fluctuations in the daily body fat readings using BIA, variations may be caused by hydration changes in the body due to eating, drinking, menstruation, illness, exercising, and bathing. Daily body fat readings are unique to each person, and depend upon one’s lifestyle, job and activities.

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Try to measure total body water percentage at the same time of day and under the same conditions. This increases the accuracy of the readings. The best time is in the early evening, before the evening meal, when hydration levels are more stable. Total body water percentage tends to be underestimated to a degree if measured immediately after getting out of bed, not only because of dehydration but also because the fluid in the body will be stored centrally in the body’s trunk. As the day progresses this fluid becomes more evenly distributed due to the effect of gravity.

On the contrary, it may be overestimated after exercise or taking a bath because of the movement of body water or a rise in the body temperature despite actual dehydration.

Important Notes

•Take your measurements at the same time of day and under the same conditions.

•Measured results depend on the movement of water in the body and/or changes in body temperature. Factors affecting total body water levels include sleep, physical activity, eating and drinking, illness and medications, bathing patterns and urination.

•Take fluid immediately if you have any symptoms of dehydration, particularly after physical activity or bathing. Symptoms include a dry mouth, headache, nausea, dizziness, skin dryness, a rise in temperature, loss of concentration, etc. If symptoms persist, consult your doctor immediately.

•Elderly people are at increased risk of dehydration as they have less sensitivity to thirst and other rational symptoms.

•This instrument cannot be used to specifically determine an individual’s recommended total body water percentage. Look for the long-term changes in total body water percentage and try to maintain a consistent, healthy total body water percentage.

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