Reference values for body fat content as a measure for desirable body fat content.

From an epidemiological viewpoint, adiposis is one of the cardiovascular risk factors. Usually adiposis is determined by a comparison of body weight with reference values (e.g. Broca index, MLIC standards), although body weight depends on variables such as muscle mass and body frame. Reference values for body fat content are seldom found and are mostly based on mean values. Data on an epidemiologically desirable body fat content should, however, be related to criteria similar to those of the MLIC standards.- The caliper method was applied in order to obtain provisional reference values for the desirable body fat content. The actual body fat content was determined from a total of 500 subjects consisting of both sexes, aged from 15 to 65. The subjects were selected according to the +/- 10% range of MLIC ideal weight. Subsequently, the body fat content was calculated on the assumption of the corresponding Broca or MLIC standards, thus estimating the body fat content of subjects with normal or ideal weight. These reference values, divided into age groups of 5 year intervals and separated according to sex, show apart from sex differences a distinct age dependency. They should offer a better differentiation between overweight and adiposis, in the hope that epidemiological consequences of adiposis can be circumscribed more precisely.