Can You Be Skinny But Fat?

Lean people with a high body fat content have a higher risk of developing metabolic diseases like diabetes.

- Joyce Teo

You can now have your body fat measured as quickly as under a minute, using a device at the clinic, gym or at home. This device, which looks like a weighing scale, taps on bioelectrical impedance analysis (BIA) just like the machines in hospitals do.

Stand barefoot on the metallic plates of a scale and a few numbers will pop up on a screen, including the volume and percentage of fat that fills your body. It is fast, easy and painless.

Knowing how much body fat you have can help you assess your health risks – even if you think you are not obese. Dr Derek Koh, head of Thomson Lifestyle Centre, said: “It is the fat, and not the weight, that leads to morbidities.” A diagnosis of obesity that is due to increased body fat can prompt investigations for problems such as high blood pressure or blood sugar levels, he said.

WHAT’S THE HEALTHY BODY FAT RANGE?

According to the American College of Sports Medicine, 10 to 22 per cent of body fat for men, and 20 to 32 per cent of body fat for women are considered satisfactory for good health.

Obesity raises a person’s risk of diseases such as hypertension, type 2 diabetes and heart disease. Dr Koh said studies have shown that health risks rise with an increase in body fat, especially visceral (organ) fat.

Visceral fat – the fat surrounding the liver and other abdominal organs – is of particular concern because it is biologically active.

According to the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health in Massachusetts, visceral fat releases fatty acids, inflammatory agents and hormones that lead to higher levels of low-density lipoprotein (LDL) or “bad” cholesterol, triglycerides, blood glucose and blood pressure.