Body Composition Analysis
Measurement of body fat percentage, muscle mass, and distribution.
Plain English
Patient-Friendly Explanation
Body composition analysis measures what your body is actually made of — fat mass, lean mass (muscle, bone, organs) and water — rather than just how much it weighs. This matters because weight alone cannot tell you whether a change came from fat, muscle or water. The main methods are bioelectrical impedance analysis (BIA, used in body-composition scales and the professional InBody machine, sending a harmless current through the body), skinfold calipers, and DEXA scan (the research standard). A typical clinic report shows your fat mass and percentage, muscle mass (often as skeletal muscle mass), visceral fat level, and segmental breakdown per limb. These numbers guide treatment: falling fat with stable muscle is the goal; falling muscle alongside fat signals the plan needs more protein and resistance training. Analysis also detects patterns weight alone hides — like normal-weight obesity or sarcopenic obesity — which is why clinics that manage weight properly measure composition before and during treatment.
Medical
Clinical Definition
Body composition analysis quantifies the major compartments — fat mass, fat-free mass (skeletal muscle, bone, organs) and total body water — using methods of varying precision and cost. Bioelectrical impedance analysis (BIA) estimates compartments from conductivity differences between hydrated lean tissue and lipid; single-frequency, multi-frequency and segmental systems differ in accuracy (±3–5% for fat percentage), sensitive to hydration, recent exercise and menstrual status. Skinfold anthropometry estimates subcutaneous fat from site measurements. DEXA provides criterion-standard regional composition (fat, lean, bone) with low radiation exposure. Clinical applications include assessment of sarcopenic obesity, detection of normal-weight obesity (elevated fat percentage at normal BMI — prevalent in Asian populations), monitoring of lean-mass preservation during GLP-1-assisted weight loss, and tracking visceral adiposity correlates. Serial measurements, taken under standardised conditions, are more informative than any single reading.
Key Insight
Why It Matters
Composition analysis is the difference between losing weight and getting healthier. A patient can shed 6 kg of which 4 is muscle — the scale celebrates while metabolism worsens — or lose 6 kg of fat with muscle preserved, which improves metabolic health and body shape. Because fat loss and muscle loss produce identical scale readings, the numbers that matter are the composition ones. This is why our programme uses InBody tracking at reviews: it keeps the plan honest about what the loss is actually made of, and it catches the under-recognised risk patterns (normal-weight obesity, sarcopenic obesity) that BMI screening misses.
Practical note
Where to get this scan now
Our clinic is currently in the process of procuring an InBody body composition analysis machine. In the meantime, you can book a body composition assessment at an Active Health Lab (ActiveSG).
Sources
Reviewed against standard medical references.
Medically reviewed by
Family Physician & Registered Acupuncturist, Accord Medical Clinic. MBBS (NUS), Graduate Diploma in Family Medicine (NUS), Graduate Diploma in Acupuncture (Singapore College of TCM).
Last reviewed: August 2026
This page is general health education, not medical advice. Whether any treatment is appropriate for you is a decision made in consultation after assessment.
