Anthropometry Practical Report

Abstract.
All the information in this practical report was taken from a
number of 30 students on the basis of a 24 hour recall. The 24-hour
hour diet recall interview is a quantitative research method used in
nutritional assessment, which asks individuals to recall foods and
beverages they consumed in the twenty-four hours prior to the
interview. It may be self-administered or administered by a trained
professional.
In the database of the 30 students it can be found different types
of measurements of the body (e.g. waist, chest, abdominals, waist,
hips) and skinfold (e.g. Elbow breadth, Waist, abdominals, back,
triceps, biceps). All of these are to help in proving that the hypothesis
is right.

What is anthropometry and what does it study.

The anthropometry is a method of study which is based on
measuring different parts of the human body, the ratio between them
and skinfold thickness. Anthropometric measurements also have a
connection with epidemiology and anthropology, for example in helping
to determine the relationship between various body measurements and
medical outcomes.

Equipment used for anthropometric measurements.

There are a plenty of methods to estimate the total body fat
percentage and different kinds of equipment used for measuring it,
some of them are more precisely than the other ones. The most utilised
and easiest to use is the body fat calliper which measures the body fat
percentage by pinching your fat with your fingers then measuring the
thickness. It has some downsides as well such as inaccuracy for people
35+ pounds overweight because fat may not fit within calliper. Another
measurer for body fat percentage is the Bioelectric Impedance Analysis
(BIA) which determines the electrical impedance, or opposition to the
flow of an electric current through the body. It is very easy to
administer and it is not so expensive, but it has a questionable
accuracy. Other methods could be: Anthropometric which takes waist,
neck and height circumference, Hydrostatic weighing which requires
being submerged in a specialized tank of water and the Dual Energy Xray Absorptiometry known as DEXA is fast becoming the new gold
standard of body fat measurement.

Visceral vs subcutaneous fat.

There are 2 different types of abdominal fat: subcutaneous

and visceral. The subcutaneous it can be found underneath the
skin and the visceral one is the gained fat around the organs, less
visible, but more dangerous. Subcutaneous fat is "passive" acts as a
deposit and is less metabolically active and more difficult to convert
into energy; Instead, active visceral fat, is broken down into fatty acids
and hormones, which are then metabolized by the liver. Visceral fat can
be one of the causes of heart disease, the diabetes, high cholesterol
levels or even cancer.

History of anthropometry.
The anthropometrical results have changed in comparison with
last centuries. In the last few decades, population had suffered a
rapidly and serious increase in weight, especially in the developed
countries, all summered in one word, obesity. Nowadays, more and
more people are suffering of this disease and the main reason for that
is the number of fast-foods and the endless list of chemicals which can
be found on the back of every product in this world.
The prevalence of obesity among adults as among children is
increasing and takes epidemic proportions. There is a general
consensus based on numerous studies that obesity is a significant risk
factor for developing cardiovascular disease, alteration in glucose
metabolism, certain cancers, intellectual deterioration and reduced life
span. Despite these observations, a significant proportion of obese
individuals may be long-lived without any morbidity of the mentioned
development.

The hypothesis.
One of the hypotheses to explain the observation above is that
the entire body fat is not the only source of health damage
complications of obesity; rather fat distribution or the relative
proportion of fat in different compartments lipid storage potential is
what determines the individuals metabolic risk.

QF 6-15 AVERAGE
250%
200%
150%
100%
50%
0%
1

QF 1-5 AVERAGE
250%
200%
150%
100%
50%
0%
1

In the student`s database it

can be found a significant distinction between the people with quality
factor ranged between 1-5 and 6-15 in BIA and SkFA. It can be observed
that the percentage of BIA and SkFA is getting lower as the quality
factor gets higher. This variation can be influence by height, weight,
circumferences, skinfolds and glycaemic index. For example, someone
with a quality factor of 3 has a height of 187cm and a weight of 80 kg
and on the other side someone with a quality factor of 10 has a height
of 159.5 cm and a weight of 59. 5 kg, but in the same time two different
individuals with the same weight and height may need different
amounts of energy or calories to maintain their weight, depending on
their body composition.

Modern diet has affected the population, including the subjects,

with changing the fat in products with sugar because while the fat is
withdraw, the product remains with no taste so adding sugar in it was
thought to be the solution, but this method caused much more
problems. A study has shown that on average, Americans are eating
about 22 teaspoons of sugar per day or 355 calories.

It is well known that fructose is uniquely efficient at causing the

build-up of visceral fat that is fat that collects in the liver and around
the organs. The ability of sugar and refined carbohydrate to induce
resistance and increase visceral fat accumulation is now believed to be
among the leading drivers of many of the world`s most serious chronic
disease.

Conclusion.
The modern diet is altering the way humans distribute their body
fat stores, fat being stored especially viscerally and that causes a lot of
health issues, despite the subcutaneous. Adding chemicals or sugar in a
product it makes it tastier, but it becomes more harmful as well.

Reference list.

http://authoritynutrition.com/sugar-the-worst-ingredient-inthe-diet/
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anthropometry
http://goaskalice.columbia.edu/answered-questions/whatrelationship-between-body-composition-and-caloric-need
https://medanth.wikispaces.com/24-hour+diet+recall?
responseToken=95745bbff56192d38436e0749d673e5c
http://www.builtlean.com/2010/07/13/5-ways-to-measurebody-fat-percentage/