An athlete's body composition was tested by underwater weighing and he was told he had 13 percent body fat. How should he interpret this information?

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

The athlete's body composition was determined by underwater weighing, which is one of the most accurate methods to measure body fat. The result indicates that he has 13 percent body fat, which is the sum of both storage fat and essential fat. The percentage of essential fat varies based on gender, age, and fitness level, but typically ranges from 3 to 5 percent for men and 8 to 12 percent for women. Therefore, the athlete's storage fat percentage should be between 8 and 10 percent. However, it is possible that the measurement has an error margin of a few percentage points, so the actual range could be slightly wider. Based on this, the best interpretation is that his percentage of body fat is between 10.3 and 15.7 percent (option B).

An Athlete's Body Composition Was Tested by Underwater Weighing and He