Health Know-how
Body Scale
Overview of 7 key health indicators
BMI
A measure of body fat based on height and weight, which indicates your risk of weight-related health problems but does not distinguish between fat and lean tissue.
Body weight
The weight of all the organs. cellular tissue, body fat, water, muscle and fat in your body.
Body fat
Your weight loss plan should be determined based on your body fat level. There is a limit to how much body fat you can lose, as the body requires a certain amount of body fat in order to function.
Body water
Helps you to determine whether you losing weight correctly - in other words, that you are losing fat and not water.
Muscle mass
Unhealthy weight loss can cause your bone mass to drop.
Muscle mass
Unhealthy weight loss can cause your bone mass to drop.
BMR
Keep track of your basal metabolic rate to avoid consuming excess calories, which are stores as fat reserves and lead to weight gain.
Bone mass
Unhealthy weight loss can cause your bone mass to drop.
What is body weight?
Body weight is the total mass of bones, lean muscle, fat, water, internal organs, metabolic waste and everything else in the body. Water accounts for the majority of our body weight, meaning there are a wide range of factors that can affect how much we weigh.
Changes in body weight reflect how our body responds to long-term changes in energy intake and expenditure. As a result, the causes of weight gain vary considerably depending on our age. For example, during childhood body weight increases due to cell growth, while during adulthood, people who are physically inactive gain weight due to an increase in body fat.
For this reason, it’s important to find out more about your body composition before making any changes to your diet or routine. Is your body fat too high? Do you have a high bone or muscle mass? Or is your metabolism on the low side?
Finding out the answers to these questions is the key to devising an effective weight management plan.
What is body fat?
Measuring your body fat percentage is the best way to determine whether you’re a healthy weight.
Given two people who share the same height and weight, the person with lower body fat percentage usually looks more toned. Knowing your body fat percentage is therefore key to determining whether you are overweight.
With body analysis scale, you can measure your body weight, body fat percentage, body water content and other key health indicators
Health problems associated with being overweight or obese
Obesity can have a serious impact on health, including high blood pressure, high cholesterol, high blood sugar and hardening of the arteries. It also increases the risk of chronic illnesses such as cardio-cerebrovascular diseases, gout, fatty liver disease and gastroesophageal reflux disease. Even cancer, which has ranked among the 10 leading causes of death for the past 37 years, is associated with overweight and obesity, including breast, colorectal and esophageal cancer.
Obesity is a silent killer, as the damage it does to the body accumulates over a period of many years. It is therefore essential to keep track of changes in your weight in order to stay in good health and prevent yourself from becoming overweight or obese.
Being overweight or obese is linked to increased risk of cancer
How does a pulse oximeter work?
How body analysis scale work
medisana body analysis scales measure your body composition using a technique called bioelectrical impedance analysis (BIA).
Bioelectrical impedance analysis (BIA) works by sending a weak electric current through the body. As the current flows through your body, the scale calculates the resistance (impedance) in your body. As fat doesn’t conduct electricity as well as water, the resistance reading can be used to calculate your body fat percentage.
How body analysis scale work?
Fat tissue
Contain no water and is a poor conductor of electricity
Lean tissue
Contain more electrolytes, and is more conductive
What is body fat?
As the name implies, body fat refers to the fat stored in your body. There are two types of body fat: Essential body fat and Excess body fat.
Body fat percentage tells you what percentage of your total body weight is fat tissue.
Body weight is not an accurate way to diagnose obesity. Body fat percentage is a much better indicator and can help you to decide whether you need to lose weight.
What is a healthy body fat percentage?
Muscle muss decreases with age and is replaced with fat. As a result, our body fat percentage tends to increase as we age.
If your goal is to build muscle and lose fat, it’s important to ensure that you keep your body fat above the level required for essential bodily functions – there is a limit to how much fat you can lose.
After measuring your body fat percentage, you can devise an appropriate weight loss plan devise an appropriate weight loss plan that will enable you to reduce your body fat to a healthy level.
Devising a weight loss program based on your body fat percentage
Percentage of water in your cells, tissues and organs
Body water percentage and relationship to body health
What is muscle mass?
Muscle is a lean tissue and has two major functions:
The body regulates its temperature by expending energy. People with less muscle mass burn fewer calories, and are therefore more likely to be overweight. By measuring your muscle mass, you can monitor trends in your body composition and adjust your training plan accordingly.
Your muscle mass is the weight of the lean tissue that makes your heart beat and helps you to maintain your posture (skeletal muscle, smooth muscle and water, including your organs). Your muscles also help to support your bones, tendons and ligaments. As a result, strong muscles can make everyday tasks seem easier.
Muscle mass decreases naturally with age – after age 40, people typically lose approximately one pound of muscle per year. Adequate consumption of protein is therefore essential for maintaining muscle mass as you age.
Building muscle is the best way to reduce body fat
Higher muscle mass Data transfer to the VitaDock+ app for iOS and Android and to VitaDock Online via encrypted Bluetooth®
Higher basal metabolic rate (BMR) Data transfer to the VitaDock+ app for iOS and Android and to VitaDock Online via encrypted Bluetooth®
More calories burned
Less risk of becoming overweight. Leaner physique Data transfer to the VitaDock+ app for iOS and Android and to VitaDock Online via encrypted Bluetooth®
Muscle mass chart
Muscle mass
Lean muscle
1 kg of lean muscle burns around 75-125 calories
Fat
1 kg of fat only burns 4-10 calories
What is bone mass?
Bone mass is the total mass of bone tissue in the body (including bone mineral content, calcium and other minerals), and is a good indicator of bone health.
Just like the other cells in your body, metabolism also occurs in your bone cells. In addition, the bones also act as a storage site for calcium and other minerals. When there is insufficient calcium in your bloodstream, the bones release calcium into the blood. Over the long term, this can lead to weak bones and osteoporosis. In order to prevent these conditions, it is important to ensure that you maintain a healthy bone mass.
How can I increase my bone mass?
What is body mass index (BMI)?
Body mass index (BMI) is a measure of body fat based on height and weight, and indicates your risk of obesity-related health problems.
Your BMI is based on your overall body weight, and does not distinguish between fat and lean tissue.
BMI reference guide
| UNDER- WEIGHT | IDEAL | OVER- WEIGHT | OBESITY | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| BMI | <18.5 | 18.5- 23.9 | >24 | >30 |
| Problem | Having too little body fat impairs normal bodily functions and weakens the immune system. | / | Increases your risk of weight-related chronic health problems such as high blood pressure, diabetes and high cholesterol. | Significantly increases your risk of heart disease, high blood pressure, high cholesterol, stroke, diabetes, infertility, depression, fatty liver disease and a wide range of cancers including prostate, colorectal, cervical, breast and uterine cancer. |
| Advice | Do more exercise, eat a nutritious diet and increase your body weight to within a healthy range. | Eat a balanced diet and maintain a healthy lifestyle. | Consider losing weight | Consult a doctor or medical professional as soon as possible and devise a suitable weight loss plan. |
BMI Ranges
BMI is an international standard for measuring obesity. In general, BMI levels are lower in Asia than in Europe.
What is basal metabolic rate (BMR)?
Your basal metabolic rate (BMR) is the number of calories your body needs to maintain vital functions during a 24-hour period of rest.
These calories are required for the following functions: Breathing, heart function, delivery of oxygen, glandular secretion, kidney function and excretion of toxins, muscle contractions, and cellular function.
Put simply, if your basal metabolic rate is 1200 calories and you sleep for the whole day without doing any activities, you will burn 1200 calories.
Your BMR accounts for the majority of calories you burn, so it has a big impact on how fast you can lose weight.
By monitoring changes in your BMR and adjusting your diet and activity levels, you can effectively lose weight:
Your BMR decreases with age.
People with a higher muscle mass also have a higher BMR and therefore burn more calories when at rest.
People with a lower muscle mass have a lower BMR and are therefore more susceptible to gaining weight.
How can I increase my BMR?
Fasting leads to muscle loss and will only decrease your BMR even further. Exercise helps to prevent muscle loss and increase the amount of lean tissue, and is the best way to boost your BMR. Strength training can increase your BMR and boost energy expenditure.
Consume plenty of high-protein foods, as protein requires more energy to digest than carbohydrates or fat.
BMR levels for different age groups
| 18-29 | 30-49 | 50-69 | 70+ | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Female | 1210 kcal/day | 1170 kcal/day | 1110 kcal/day | 1010 kcal/day |
| Male | 1550 kcal/day | 1500 kcal/day | 1350 kcal/day | 1220 kcal/day |
Factors which affect your BMR
