Body composition analysis helps shed light on how body weight is distributed. Looking at weight alone can be misleading as it tells us nothing about how that weight is allocated throughout the body. Analyzing the distribution of fat, muscle, free fat mass (FFM) e.g., bone, water, etc. gives us a more comprehensive view of the health and fitness status of an individual.
Body composition analysis can be useful in many situations whether the goal is gaining a detailed insight into health status, monitoring fitness progress over time, optimizing weight loss, or preventing injury, etc. It can also serve as a foundation for goal-setting and a source of motivation and accountability over time. Body composition analysis is especially useful in monitoring testosterone replacement therapy as it can quantify the changes in muscle mass that typically occur.
There are different ways to measure body composition with some being significantly more accurate than others. The least accurate albeit also least expensive would be skin fold calibers which quite literally measure the size of skin folds. The most accurate but least accessible would be a full-body MRI. Somewhere in the middle are things like bioelectrical impedance analysis (BIA), Dual-Energy X-ray Absorptiometry (DEXA ) scans, and hydrostatic weighing. BIA tends to be the most accessible and accurate option available as DEXA scans require radiation exposure and hydrostatic weighing requires submersion in water. BIA uses low-voltage electrical currents to measure the resistance between different body tissues. BIA systems can vary in accuracy though depending on their validation measures. At Wellesley Testosterone we assess body composition on all patients using a BIA device validated against MRI, the gold standard supported by research.
Using some form of body composition analysis is likely better than nothing but be aware that reliability can vary significantly. If you are using a less reliable system just know that, is it likely most useful in monitoring trends over time rather than true accuracy. Monitoring trends with such devices will generally identify extreme deviations but be aware that they may not always identify potential health risks due to the decreased accuracy.
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