Cardio-Med offers a body fat composition analysis that can estimate your body fat percentage, that is, the percentage of your weight contributed by fat. This is an ideal measure of your general fitness, because it's not dependent on your height or weight. Body fat analysis is part of a healthy weight loss program.

Every person requires a minimum percentage of body fat to live. Anything beyond this essential fat amount is considered storage fat, available as energy if needed.

The recommended total body fat percentage depends on factors such as gender, age, culture and lifestyle. A high value from the body fat scale indicates risk for obesity, heart disease and other illnesses. The table below, from the American Council on Exercise, gives ranges of body fat percentage for different categories.

Category	Women	Men
Essential fat	10-12%	2-4%
Athletes	14-20%	6-13%
Fitness	21-24%	14-17%
Acceptable	25-31%	18-26%
Overweight	32-41%	27-37%
Obese	42%+	38%+