18
What You Should Know When Using This Unit
What
Y
ou Should Know When Using
This Unit
Principles of body fat percentage measurement
The OMRON Body Fat Analyzer estimates the body fat percentage
by the Bioelectrical Impedance (BI) method.
What is the Bioelectrical Impedance Method?
Muscles, blood vessels and bones are body tissues having a high water
content that conduct electricity easily. Body fat is tissue that has little electric
conductivity. The Body Fat Analyzer sends an extremely weak electrical current
of 50 kHz and 500 µA through your body to determine the amount of fat tissue.
This weak electrical current is not felt while operating the Body Fat Analyzer.
The Bioelectrical Impedance Method safely combines the electric resistance
with the distance of the electricity conducted. Correct posture and consistent
measuring conditions need to be maintained for the best results.
How to estimate the body fat percentage.
Hydrodensitometry, or underwater weighing, has been the established
method for accurate evaluation of body composition. Omron has used
research information from several hundred people using the underwater
weighing method to develop the formula by which the Body Fat Analyzer
works. The body fat mass and body fat percentage is calculated
by a formula that includes five factors: electric resistance, height,
weight, age and gender.
What is the submerged body weight weighing method?
The underwater weighing method submerges a person in a pool from head
to toe to be weighed. Omron has collected information on people from
10 to 80 years of age using this method.
(There are certain conditions, such as with dialysis patients, when significant
differences may occur between the estimated and actual body fat values.
These differences may be related to consistently changing ratios of body
fluid and/or bone density.)
