The term “body composition” typically refers to the muscle-to-fat ratio. A body composition analysis can tell you if you’re overweight and whether that extra weight is due to fat or muscle. If it’s the former, you can use the information to direct your individualized medical weight loss plan.
In Long Island City and Murray Hill, New York, our neXendo Wellness health and wellness specialists Anastassios Manessis, MD, FACE, ECNU, ABOM, and Brandon Caraballosa, MS, RD, CDN, CTP, provide body composition analyses in addition to metabolic testing, so they can gather as much information as possible about your health and fitness.
They use the results of your body composition analysis to develop a wellness plan for you that reduces your risk for various diseases, including high blood pressure, high cholesterol, heart disease, and diabetes.
Here’s what you should know about body composition and why it matters:
Your body fat percentage is one of the most important details you can get from a body composition analysis. Your body fat provides insulation and energy storage, and everyone has some fat. While it’s possible to not have enough body fat, too much body fat increases numerous health risks.
Too much body fat, much of which is in and around organs, is a common cause or contributing factor for:
If you’re interested in mitigating health risks like these, lowering the amount of fat on your body is a great place to start. It’s not always easy to do on your own, but a medical weight loss plan can put you on the right path.
Even if weight loss isn’t your goal, learning about your body composition can inform you about your health from a fitness standpoint. With more body fat and less muscle, your body uses more energy while you exercise.
If you’re an athlete, you’re probably familiar with the fact that more body fat slows you down. With more muscle and less body fat, your athletic performance is at its best.
Excess body fat identified during a body composition analysis places additional stress on your joints. Chronic joint pain aside, it also increases your risk for injuries. That includes overuse injuries, which develop slowly over time, and acute injuries due to trauma.
Alternatively, an extremely low body fat level can compromise your immunity and lower estrogen in women. Lower estrogen means an increased risk of osteoporosis, which puts you at risk of fractures.
If you’re curious about your body composition and its influence on your well-being, schedule an appointment over the phone or online at neXendo Wellness today.
