Our bodies are made of water, fat, protein, carbohydrates, minerals, and vitamins. Body composition is fat against fat-free mass in the body. Fat-free mass is made of muscle, water, and bones. Body composition can change over the years, and can make people weaker the older they get. How much food we eat and how much we exercise can also change our body composition. If we have lean muscles, we"ll be able to burn calories faster. More muscle mass goes along with bone density, lowering the risk of osteoporosis.
Body fat is the percentage of fat in the body. Fat has nine calories per gram, explaining the reason why foods high in fat are high in calories. When we eat more calories than we need, the calories are converted into fat and is stored. Obesity is the term for when a person has stored way too much body fat in the body. Obesity is a risk factor for heart disease. Some fat is good for us. It's a nutrient that we need, just like protein and vitamins. Fat slows our digestive rate and makes food tastes better to the tongue. Fat, like carbohydrates, helps break up protein.
There are many factors that contribute to body composition and body fatness. Aging can make body composition change, and it also makes people weaker the older they get. Eating can make our body composition change dramatically. Our activity level also makes our body composition change. If we are less active, our fat mass will increase, and we can get weaker. We would also lose skeletal muscles, explaining why we get weaker. Food also contributes to body fatness. If we eat too much food with fat, we"ll get fatter or possibly obese. Being active reduces our body fatness. .
Body composition can be measured different ways. Two of the measurements are waist circumference and body mass index (BMI). Waist circumference measures the distance around your waist and uses BMI measurements to measure body composition. BMI uses numbers of weight related to height.