SECA Body Composition Analysis

The BMI is an initial indicator when it comes to assessing weight-related health risks or evaluating nutritional status. However, it says nothing about where the excess weight comes from or what it is made up of. Is it fat mass or muscle mass? The following parameters provide information on this.

The colored reference ranges enable an individual, precise and scientifically sound assessment of the measurement results. The ranges are based on body composition data from over 3,000 test subjects. For each measurement, reference data is used that matches the respective age, gender, ethnicity and BMI. For example, a 60-year-old woman compares her measurement results with the reference values that suit her and not with the values of a 20-year-old man. Measured values in the red area are far below the average of the reference collective (at or below the fifth percentile). At the border between the yellow and green areas, the measured values are exactly at the average, i.e. at the 50th percentile. The green area therefore shows an above-average high.

Many people want to reduce their fat mass in order to reduce health risks or to feel comfortable in their own skin again. The fat mass percentage mass parameter makes body fat quantifiable and allows an assessment of the extent to which obesity is caused by increased fat mass. Monitoring fat mass can provide information on whether diet or exercise therapy is successful. Skeletal muscle mass should also always be kept in mind.

Resting energy expenditure (REE) is the amount of energy required by the body to maintain its basic functions at rest. This includes important processes such as breathing, blood circulation and maintaining body temperature. REE is influenced by factors such as age, gender, weight, height and body composition (muscle and fat).
Instead of an equation that only uses body weight, body composition analysis from Seca use a specially validated formula to calculate resting energy expenditure using fat-free mass and fat mass. Multiplied by the physical activity level (PAL), the total energy expenditure (TEE) is calculated from the resting energy expenditure.

The health benefits of sufficient skeletal muscle mass can hardly be overestimated. It not only makes people more efficient, but also supports the immune system, metabolic health and prevents frailty in old age. For many individuals tracking their body composition, skeletal muscle mass is an important marker by which they measure health opportunities and risks.

The BIA solutions determine the muscle mass per arm, leg and for the torso. A patient comes in with back pain, but we can see that there is a muscle imbalance within the torso. This parameter shows it a glance. Muscular imbalances can also be recognized immediately. For example, between the lower and upper body or between the left and right side of the body.
This parameter is also particularly interesting after injuries breaks, for example when it comes to assessing the extent to which a knee injury has led to muscle loss and how quickly rehabilitation is progressing

Unlike subcutaneous fat, visceral fat is located in the abdominal cavity between the organs. As it is associated with cardiovascular disease, type 2 diabetes and various cancers, many people who track their body composition focus on reducing visceral fat. As with the fat mass percentage, the reference ranges are linked to the BMI limits defined by the WHO.
The validation of Seca body composition analysis solutions against MRI slice images enables the determination of visceral fat as a volume (liters). Other methods of body composition analysis manufactures only offer validation against a single CT cross-section and specify the visceral fat as an area (cm2).

The Body Composition Chart (BCC) puts fat and muscle mass in relation to each other. This means that the two parameters are not viewed in isolation, but in relation to each other. The diagonal line in the middle clearly separates the favorable from the unfavorable fat-muscle ratio. With the BCC, users can easily recognize an ’’unhealthy’’ weight loss, for example when change in diet results in the loss of mainly muscle mass, but fat mass is retained.
This example shows a realistic progression in which a lot of fat mass was lost, but also some muscle mass. However, the measuring point was shifted to the right, more favorable side. The weight loss achieved can therefore be considered good. For patients, the BCC offers particular motivational potential as it makes it easy to track progress.