And just like the words of wisdom that come from economists football pundits and stock market analysts many of those predictions will turn out to be wrong. Dexa or dxa stands for dual emission x ray absorptiometry. Although the test takes a measurement from each main area of the body including the upper body midsection and lower body a participant that holds greater amounts of fat outside of the measured areas might end up with a lower reading. Body fat scales can be an easy way to track your body fat percentage but they may not tell the complete story about your health. Body fat distribution can factor into the accuracy level as well. If youre concerned about your body fat percentage skip the commercially available body fat analyzers and ask your doctor about the use of more accurate measurement techniques.
To paraphrase weightology founder james krieger a body fat test is less of a measurement than it is a prediction. In addition explore many other calculators addressing finance math health and fitness. Its usually used for bone density testing but its also considered one of the most accurate ways to measure body fat 2a dexa scan is like getting a full body x ray so it does deliver a small degree of radiation. Accuracy can also vary depending on various factors including. Bod pod a bod pod is a machine that calculates a persons body density. One problem with body fat scales is that they are often inaccurate.
Many variables affect the results including how hydrated you are when you last ate and exercised and even whether your feet are highly calloused or dirty as well as the type and quality of the product itself. It displays a number of results including the fat loss required to reach ideal body fat percentage. Results from portable body fat analyzers can vary depending on many factors however including the quality of the device and how hydrated you are when the measurement is taken. Navy method as well as the bmi method. This free body fat calculator estimates body fat percentage based on the us. Limited information is available but some 3 d scanners may be fairly accurate with errors of around 4 body fat.
These can give a better and fuller picture of your body and its condition. The following body fat measurement tools require special machinery and provide much more accurate results. Apart from being a fairly accurate measurement most machines provide additional information such as muscle mass and hydration levels. Here is a video showing how a 3 d body scanner works. Body fat percentage categories.