Body composition is about understanding what makes up your body—how much is muscle, fat, and other components. People often use a simple measure called BMI, which looks at your weight in relation to your height. However, BMI has some issues.
Firstly, BMI doesn’t tell us if the weight comes from muscle or fat. So, two people with the same BMI might have different amounts of muscle and fat. For example, someone who works out a lot might be labeled as overweight by BMI, even if they’re healthy and fit.
Additionally, BMI doesn’t consider where your body stores fat. There’s a type of fat deep inside, around your organs, that’s riskier for your health. BMI doesn’t look at this, so it might miss potential health concerns.
Experts now prefer more advanced methods to get a better picture. These include scans that can tell you the exact amounts of muscle and fat in your body. While these methods are more accurate, they’re not as simple as BMI.
In a nutshell, while BMI is a quick and easy way to get a general idea of weight status, it doesn’t tell the whole story about your body. Health experts are moving toward using more detailed methods to understand your body composition better and provide more personalized health advice.