While most people will rely on fitness trackers the garmin index smart scale can give some of the most accurate metrics including weight body water body fat bone mass and body mass index bmi. They are expensive however and are. However so could be some direct methods as they give you a percentage of body fat rather than the location of the fat in the body. Body fat can also be estimated using cross sectional imaging methods such as magnetic resonance imaging mri nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy and computerized tomography ct. These scans can provide the most precise body composition measurements especially for intra abdominal fat measurement. Information from each of these methods is combined to build a more complete picture of the body and obtain the most accurate body fat percentage 21 22.

The following body fat measurement tools require special machinery and provide much more accurate results. Dexa or dxa stands for dual emission x ray absorptiometry. 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. Like most indirect formulas always allow a give and take range for example if your calculation is 25 is more like approximately 25. Accuracy can also vary depending on various factors including. This is the most accurate.

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. While the nokia body cardios battery life is in its own league our review found garmins battery life of 9 months quite impressive as well. Five of the body fat scales read weight accurately but one the qardio qardiobase which happened to be one of the priciest routinely overestimated weight by 6 to 10 pounds. Most research shows that body fat scales arent accurate enough to track changes in body composition over time. 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.

In fact you could lose fat and gain muscle over a period of several months but body fat scales might say that your body fat percentage has gone up. Bod pod a bod pod is a machine that calculates a persons body density.

Gallery of Most Accurate Body Fat Measurement