Hydration status can be useful when reviewing the results of a body composition test. The most important factor when calculating body fat percentage is consistency.
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How does hydration affect body fat measurement. Hydration affects the reading of these scales because the electrical signal will pass slower or faster through a fat free tissue depending on the concentration of electrolytes in that tissue concentration of electrolytes goes up in dehydrated tissue. Dehydration is a recognized factor affecting bia measurements as it causes an increase in the bodys electrical resistance so has been measured to cause a 5 kg underestimation of fat free mass ie. For an adolescent it is expected to be slightly higher. In a study by published in annals of family medicine the researchers found out that people who are obese and have a higher body mass index or bmi although bmi has its own limitations are more likely to be inadequately hydrated and vice versa. There are many different methods of measuring body fat percentage as well as a number of variables that can potentially affect the outcome of a body composition test. For an adult body water is expected to be 69 74 of lean body weight.
If you began your program by measuring your body fat in the morning then during your reassessments continue to measure your body fat in the morning. An overestimation of body fat. This is due to the fact that fat contains less water than muscle so its denser than muscle and more difficult for a. If you are dehydrated the current will pass through at a slower rate and show an inflated body fat percentage. One common factor that can influence the outcome of a body composition test is the persons hydration status 2. Prior to the first bod pod hydration was measured via urine specific gravity usg with hydrated equating to a result less than or equal to 1020 gml.
Now that youre aware of the importance of being well hydrated to gain lean body mass youre probably curious if your hydration status can also impact fat loss efforts. This is especially significant after completing a vigorous workout routine. Wrestlers were defined as dehydrated once confirmed to have lost 2 3 of their body weight andor produced a usg sample greater than 1020 gml. As a rule of thumb greater body resistance means a higher fat percentage. A reading below 69 may indicate dehydration and result in a fat weight reading that is 3 5 too high. Your body fat is pretty water dense so dense in fact that body fat is comprised of about 10 water.
That means that your changing level of hydration can have a significant effect on the body fat reading that you get.
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