Obesity is becoming the norm! It is estimated that 30% of the world population is obese. The United States is leading the pack for obesity; the CDC Center for Disease Control (CDC) reports, "US obesity prevalence obesity prevalence was 42.4% in 2017 – 2018." Estimates indicate that by 2030 the figure will rise to 50%.
Obesity is defined as being over a certain weight based on height, age, and gender as determined by the Body Mass Index (BMI). Obesity has been linked to increased risk of cardiovascular disease, stroke, diabetes, cancer, sexual dysfunction, dementia, sleep, and mood disorders.
Does the BMI, or being over a certain weight, tell the whole story? No. A lot depends on the type of fat you have. There are two types of fat- subcutaneous and visceral. Subcutaneous fat is the fat you can pinch. It is soft and tends to move as you change position. For instance, as you lay down, your abdomen will flatten. Visceral fat is the deep fat, the fat that wraps around your major organs like the liver, pancreas, intestines, and kidneys. Someone with a relatively small amount of subcutaneous fat can still have too much visceral fat.
Visceral fat is the most dangerous type because it behaves as an independent organ producing proteins that cause inflammation. Today, it is recognized that inflammation is the underlying factor in most chronic diseases.
Wouldn't it be helpful to know how much subcutaneous fat and especially how much visceral fat you have? Wouldn't it be beneficial to track your progress as you try to reduce your fat? Using a scale can be discouraging. The scale may not indicate weight loss as you diet and exercise if your fat is replaced by increased muscle mass or bone density.
There is no direct way to measure fat unless you do an invasive procedure like an MRI or CT scan. There are several indirect methods of estimating fat; however, they are not very accurate. For instance, you can measure the circumference around your waist. If you are a male and the waist measurement is greater than 40 inches, or a female, and the measurement is greater than 35 inches, this could indicate the presence of visceral fat. It tells you nothing about the amount of visceral fat; just that odds are that you have visceral fat. Some people use a special weight scale that can indicate fat percentage; however, this does not reveal any information relative to visceral fat.
Fortunately, there now is equipment called STYKU that can indirectly measure total fat and visceral fat with 96% accuracy and a reliability factor of 99.6%! This reliability factor indicates that there is only a .4% margin of error as you repeat the tests; however, you can be sure you are losing fat if the STYKU results indicate. STYKU shows changes in fat percentage and tells us changes in muscle mass, bone density, and much more. This is accomplished by taking an infrared scan of your body. STYKU scans are safe, noninvasive (no radiation), painless, and fast. STKYU scans are completely private and contactless. Wearing body-hugging clothing, you stand on a rotating platform, and the infrared camera scans your entire body in 60 seconds. In just minutes, an external 3D body image is taken.
In addition to the information listed above, STYKU records measurements of numerous areas such as the abdomen, hips, thighs, biceps, etc. Volumetric values for areas of the body are also provided, for instance, of the abdominal region. Suppose you are engaging in lifestyle changes to increase muscle and reduce fat, or you reduce fat and increase muscle mass via EMSCULPT NEO® sessions to build and strengthen muscles while simultaneously burning fat. In that case, the STYKU scan can be repeated when necessary. Changes of values compared by number and or generated trend graphs and visual changes in the 3D image are shown in subsequent scans.
STYKU is a powerful tool to help motivate and monitor progress toward a healthier you. Sculpted Wellness, located in The Breiner Whole-Body Health Center, provides the STYKU scan as part of their initial consultation. Call Sculpted Wellness at 475-221-1000 or visit sculptedwellness.com for more information on how to help change your body composition.
