Tanita BF-572 Instruction Manual

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Tanita BF-572 Instruction Manual Manual pdf 4 page image

The Tanita Body Fat Monitor/Scale BF-572 allows you toestimate your weight and body fat percentage at home aseasily as you measure your weight. This model alsoincludes Tanita’s Graph feature, so you can track yourresults over time.What is Body Fat Percentage?Body fat percentage is the percentage of fat in your body. Untilnow, your absolute weight has determined whether or not youwere considered overweight or obese. In recent years,the defini-tion of obesity has been refined to mean the presence of excessbody fat. Too much body fat has been linked to conditions suchas high blood pressure, heart disease, diabetes, cancer, and otherdisabling conditions.The chart below shows four ranges of body fat percentage.The BIA MethodThe BF-572 uses the BIA (Bioelectrical ImpedanceAnalysis) method. In this method, a safe low-levelelectrical signal is passed through the body. It is dif-ficult for the signal to flow through fat in thehuman body, but easy to flow through moisture inthe muscle and other body tissues. The difficultywith which a signal flows through a substance iscalled impedance. So the amount of fat in the bodycan be accurately estimated by measuring theimpedance. The signal used is very low-level,making it safe and imperceptible.Body Fat Percentage Fluctuations in a DayHydration levels in the body may affect body fat readings. Readingsare usually highest in the early waking hours, since the body tendsto be dehydrated after a long night’s sleep. For the most accuratereading, a person should take a body fat percentage reading at a con-sistent time of day under consistent conditions.Besides this basic cycle of fluctuations in the daily body fat readings,variations may be caused by hydration changes in the body due toeating, drinking, menstruation, illness, exercising, and bathing.Daily body fat readings are unique to each person, and depend uponone’s lifestyle, job and activities.The graph below shows an example of daily body fat percentagefluctuations, based on the BIA method.Advantages of Tanita’s BIA MethodPreviously, body fat percentage was determined by measuring thethickness of subcutaneous fat by pinching it with calipers, or bylaying a person on a scanning bed and passing a current from handto foot. However, these methods present problems—professionalskills are required, the procedures take time and are often invasive,and measurement values vary. Currently, the gold standard methodsof fat percentage measurement are DEXA (dual energy x-ray absorp-tiometry) and Hydrodensitometry (underwater weighing).Tanita’s BIA method uses equations derived from large, multi-ethnicpopulation studies to predict body composition. Readings takenwith Tanita’s BF-572 correlate highly with both DEXA (Tanita’s ref-erence model) and Hydrodensitometry.20–3940–5960–79Healthy Overfat ObeseUnderfatHealthy Overfat ObeseUnderfatBased on NIH/WHO BMI Guidelines.As reported by Gallagher, et al., at NY Obesity Research Center.To determine the percentage of body fat that is appropriate for your body, consult your physician.10%0% 20% 30% 40%20–3940–5960–79FemaleBody Fat Ranges for Standard AdultsAgeMaleAge1., 2.1.2.6 am22212019181710 am 2 pm 6 pm 10 pm TimeBody Fat %Principles of Estimating Body Fat Percentage2