Body Composition Analysis

Written by Russel Sher, DC
Asheville Center for Health Excellence
Asheville, NC

Composition is the technical term used to describe the different components that, when taken together, make up a person's body weight. The human body is composed of a variety of different tissue types. Of these tissue types, some are metabolically active, such as muscle, bone, and organs; and other components are not, such as adipose (fat) tissue.

Even though we see weight as a key indicator of a healthy body habitus, there is much more to consider when determining body composition. Those of us who approach our practices with a more holistic mindset seek a more comprehensive picture of your overall body composition. In simple terms, body composition is grounded in the ratio between your metabolically active and non-active components. One factor in this determination is your lean-to-fat ratio. Utilizing the traditional height to weight ratio of the past, a well conditioned athlete may fall falsely into the range of "overweight" for their height. For example, a bodybuilder may have only 8% body fat, an excellent mark, yet fall into the overweight for height zone on simple weight-height charts. In general, charts are not a good indication of an individual's ideal body weight for general health or for athletic performance.

Your ideal weight and body composition ratio varies considerably by sex and age. Most articles suggest a minimum body fat composition of 5% safe for adult males and 12% for adult females. On average, most healthy men average closer to 15-18% and women 22-25%.

Conditioned athletes usually fall in the lower end of the scale due to their increased lean muscle mass. While low levels of body fat may seem to be related to improved performance, body composition alone is not that accurate a predictor of sports acumen. Some sports rely on different lean to fat ratios to sustain activity and avoid injury. Further, unusually low fat ratios may introduce other health problems such low energy, disruption of menses, and bone weakness.

Body composition is a foundational element of good health. Consider having your provider evaluate your body composition as part of an overall program for wellness.