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In determining one's health, weight is never as critical as your body's percent of fat. Body fat analyzers will help you calculate and track your body composition, weight, and body fat percentage. Body fat analyzers are a must-have for people who are, or need to be, conscious about their weight and health. Body fat analyzers are in high demand these days as the awareness of health risks associated with being overweight are continuously on the rise.

Body fat analyzer scales use the BIA (Bioelectrical Impedance Analysis) technique. By sending a low, harmless electrical current through the body, body composition is measured. The electrical current freely passes through the fluids contained in muscle tissue but encounters resistance when it passes through fat tissue. This resistance of the fat tissue to the electrical current is called 'bioelectrical impedance' and is accurately measured by body fat analyzer scales. When set against a person's height and weight, the body fat analyzers can then compute body fat percentage.

Body fat percentage is the proportion of fat in a person's body. Therefore, if someone weighs 150 pounds and is 10% fat, this means this person has 15 pounds of fatty tissue on their body. Excess body fat has previously been determined by measuring weight against height, but body fat is not always visible and can only be measured with special equipment such as body fat analyzers; it cannot be measured using ordinary medical scales. It is generally accepted that men should have less than 18% total body fat and women 23% or less. However, experts suggest that an excess is not particularly hazardous to one's health until an individual accumulates 35% and 40% total body fat respectively. Such fat percentages definitely constitute obesity and can have traumatic health effects. Obesity has been linked to hypertension, type 2 diabetes, coronary heart disease, dyslipidemia, stroke, gallbladder disease, osteoarthritis, endometrial cancer, breast cancer, colon cancer, respiratory problems, and other debilitating health conditions, not to mention the need for bariatric equipment and other special living accommodations.

Its one thing to use body fat analyzers to tell you how much fat is in your body, but initially it's key to understand a few fat essentials. Taber's Cyclopedic Medical Dictionary defines fats in this way:

Fats serve as a source of energy. Subcutaneous fats form an insulating layer which prevents loss of heat. Fat acts to support and protect certain organs such as the eyes and kidneys; provides a concentrated reserve of food; provides essential fatty acids necessary for normal growth and development; and is a vehicle for natural fat-soluble vitamins. In conjunction with carbohydrates, fats serve as protein sparers. They are in important constituent of cell structure, forming an integral part of the cell membrane.

So though fats are essential to proper health, excess fat is not. Excess fat is produced when an excess intake of calories in the form of food or drink takes place. When the body is given more calories than necessary for standard maintenance and physical activity, this excess energy is stored in the form of body fat. The only way to lose this excess fat is to burn more calories than calories consumed. This usually means a change in lifestyle (i.e. exercise and diet regimen). The use of a body fat analyzer will keep you on track as you pursue a healthier lifestyle.