Body Composition

BodyComposition

1

As we age our percentage of body fat increases. Where you carry fat on your body affects your health.

2

As well as having a healthy body weight, it’s important to have a healthy balance between the amount of muscle and the amount of fat in your body.

3

Your doctor or pharmacist can assess your body composition and advise whether you can reduce your risk of health problems by improving it (e.g. reducing the amount of fat you are carrying and/or increase your muscle mass).

  • Fat and health risks Fat and health risks

    Fat and health risks

    Excess weight increases your risk of cardiovascular disease, type 2 diabetes, some musculoskeletal conditions and some cancers. Being overweight can also make it harder to manage some chronic (long-term) diseases. Being underweight can also be unhealthy.

  • Body shape Body shape

    Body shape

    Some people tend to carry weight around their abdomen and have larger waists (sometimes called ‘apple’ shaped). Other people tend to carry weight around their hips and buttocks, but not their waists (sometimes called ‘pear-shaped’). People with the apple-shaped bodies shape have a higher risk of obesity-related health conditions than people with pear-shaped bodies. Measures of body shape include waist circumference and waist-to-hip ratio.

  • How body composition is measured How body composition is measured

    How body composition is measured

    Body composition is measured several different ways. Each measure provides different information. Body mass index (BMI) is a measure of whether someone is in a healthy weight range. Waist circumference and waist-to-hip ratio measure body shape, which is an indicator of where you store fat.

  • Body mass index Body mass index

    Body mass index

    How to measure BMI

    • Measure your body weight in kilograms (W).
    • Measure your height in metres (H).
    • Your BMI is your body weight divided by the square of your height: [W] divided by [H x H] There are many BMI calculators on the internet.

     

    What your BMI tells you

    • BMI provides a rough measure of whether you are in a healthy weight range.
    • For adults, normal BMI is between 18 and 25.
    • A BMI less than 18 generally means a person is underweight.
    • A BMI more than 25 generally means a person is overweight, and a BMI more than 30 means a person is obese.

     

    Standard charts that assess whether your BMI is in the healthy range are useful but are not accurate for everyone:

    • BMI doesn’t take into account your proportion of lean body mass. For example, body builders may have a high BMI without having increased risk of obesity-related health problems, because their weight is mostly muscle.

     

    The healthy BMI range can differ between different ethnic groups.

  • Waist circumference Waist circumference

    Waist circumference

    How to measure waist circumference

    Measure around the narrowest part of your waist in centimetres.

    What your waist circumference tells you Storing fat around your abdominal organs means you have a higher risk of developing obesity-related health conditions, regardless of your body mass index (BMI).

    It is unhealthy to have a big waist. Men and post-menopausal women are more likely to store excess fat around the waist area.

    The risk of obesity-related health problems is higher than average for:

    • men with a waist measurement of more than 94 cm.
    • women with a waist measurement of more than 80 cm.
  • Waist-to-hip ratio Waist-to-hip ratio

    Waist-to-hip ratio

    What your waist-to-hip ratio tells you Waist-to-hip ration is one way of assessing body shape. Storing fat around your abdominal organs means you have a higher risk of developing obesity-related health conditions, regardless of your body mass index (BMI). People who are widest around the middle of their body (people with an ‘apple’-type body shape) have a higher risk of obesity-related health problems than people who have a waist (people with a ‘pear’-type body shape).

    How to measure waist-to-hip ratio:

    • Measure around the narrowest part of your waist (W).
    • Measure around the widest part of your hips and buttocks (H) using the same units of measure.
    • Your waist-to-hip ratio is W divided by H. 

     

    The risk of obesity-related health problems is higher than average for:

    • men with a waist-to-hip ratio more than 0.9
    • women with a waist-to-hip ratio more than 0.8.
  • Body fat table: women Body fat table: women

    Body fat table: women

    Age Percentage body fat %
    Low Normal High
    20 - 39 < 21.0% 21.0% - 32.9% > 33.0%
    40 - 59 < 23.0% 23.0% - 33.9% > 40.0%
    60 - 79 < 24.0% 24.0% - 35.9% > 42.0%

    Women naturally have a higher proportion of essential body fat than men.

  • Body fat table: men Body fat table: men

    Body fat table: men

    Age Percentage body fat %
    Low Normal High
    20 - 39 < 8.0% 8.0% - 19.9% > 20.0%
    40 - 59 < 11.0% 11.0% - 21.9% > 22.0%
    60 - 79 < 13.0% 13.0% - 24.9% > 25.0%
  • Physical activity and your health Physical activity and your health

    Physical activity and your health

    Your health is also affected by how much muscle you have, compared with how much fat you have.

    All adults should aim to do at least 30 minutes of moderate-intensity physical activity (e.g. brisk walking) on most or all days. Regular physical activity has many health benefits and is important for achieving a healthy weight and body composition.

  • Additional Resources

    Additional Resources

    www.health.gov.au

    www.heartfoundation.org.au

    www.eatforhealth.gov.au

    www.daa.asn.au