Body composition generally refers to the absolute amount of fat and nonfat tissue within the body as well as the ratio of fat to total body mass (TBM).
Typically, body composition is assessed to determine the percentage of body fat and of lean body mass (LBM) or fat free mass (FFM).
Although FFM and LBM are often used interchangeably, LBM includes not only all nonfat portions of the human body, but also essential fat deposits, whereas FFM is the total mass of all tissues within the body excluding all fat.
Fat mass (FM) is the total mass (or kilograms) of all fat within the body. Body fat is made-up of about 10% water and 90% adipose tissue.
Essential fat is found associated with the bone marrow, the central nervous system and internal organs. Without fat in these areas, the body cannot function properly.
The essential body fat percentage or minimum level of body fat comparable with health in men is approximately 3-5% and in women is approximately 12-14%.
Many factor such as age, gender, stature heredity, and pregnancy influence body composition.
Young individual tend to have higher resting metabolic rates, are more active, and as a result are lean.
Fat composition in human body
