In the healthcare sector, one of the most widely discussed topics is longevity. Scientists and medical professionals have long been researching ways to potentially increase a person’s lifespan. One of the key factors in extending the lifespan of a person is to understand their current health.

Measurements like BMI have been used for a long time, but they have limitations. This makes it hard for health professionals to truly understand a someone’s risk for diseases. With the move to ALMI (Appendicular Lean Mass Index), it’s now possible to get a much more accurate indication of health. This data could potentially be used to determine a person’s risk and to make improvements in their life, ultimately giving them a positive impact on longevity. The DEXA body composition scan helps with calculating ALMI.

The Health Impact of Visceral Fat

Fat can be collected anywhere in the body. However, visceral fat is by far the most dangerous.

It’s important to keep in mind that many of the body’s most vital organs sit in the abdomen. The kidneys, digestive tract, pancreas, and liver all play an important role in keeping the body healthy, regulating blood sugar, absorbing nutrients, and removing toxins from the bloodstream.

Fat in the abdomen starts to accumulate around these organs. When there is too much visceral fat, it puts pressure on these organs and parts of your abdomen. This makes it harder for these organs to do their job. In turn, the body doesn’t function as well as it should. This causes an increase in the risk of many diseases, like type 2 diabetes, heart problems, hypertension, kidney disease, and more.

Where Does ALMI Fit Into Longevity?

BMI (Body Mass Index) and FFMI (Fat-Free Mass Index) are the two most common measurements that health professionals tend to use. These measurements give the patient an overview of their health. It’s also a great option for those who want to work on their fitness.

However, a major concern has been the limitations that both of these measurements have. This is where ALMI (Appendicular Lean Mass Index) comes into the picture.

ALMI is a type of measurement that doctors can calculate when a patient opts for a DEXA body composition scan. This scan was initially created to help understand one’s bone density and health. However, many people turn to DEXA body composition scans for other purposes in the modern day, including getting a scan of their body to see how different masses are distributed.

With a DEXA body composition scan, you get a detailed overview of body mass index, fat mass, lean mass, and bone mass. It’s not just about these masses. By seeing how fat mass is distributed in the body, it’s possible to determine how much visceral fat there is with greater precision.

The DEXA scan results also help someone or their doctor calculate ALMI. This calculation takes things even further than what other measurements have been able to offer. What ALMI does is it actually includes lean mass in your legs and arms. When used together with visceral fat measurements, ALMI gives more precise data to work with.

It might seem strange to focus on limb lean mass at first, but it’s important to understand why this plays a role.

The main thing to keep in mind here is that a person’s limbs play a critical role in maintaining mobility, as well as independence, as they age. These are two things that have an impact on longevity, as it not only affects quality of life but also functionality throughout the day. By taking ALMI into consideration, it’s possible to get an idea of how lean mass is distributed in the legs and arms.

ALMI can help someone understand how aging may affect their mobility and independence. When lean mass is low in the limbs, it can make it harder for a person to properly walk and do the things they used to do, especially as they get older. Younger people can use ALMI as well. It would essentially be a measurement the person can attempt to improve over time. This, in turn, would help individuals maintain healthy lean mass values in their limbs, which can pay off not only in the short-term but also as they age.

Several research papers have already confirmed the use of ALMI as a beneficial option when it comes to understanding a person’s risk for problems like sarcopenia. ALMI ratings (ALM/Height2) should not go lower than 5.5 in female patients and 7.0 in male patients.

Appendicular Lean Mass can also be measured against BMI to get a ratio. This provides details of how much lean mass the limbs have relative to the patient’s overall BMI. It’s more common to see the use of this method when a person is overweight or obese, whereas the ratio to height is more likely to be used in lean individuals.

Conclusion

While BMI and even fat-free body mass are helpful indicators of physical health, ALMI offers much more accurate data. Healthcare professionals and people themselves can use this level of preciseness to better understand health and disease risk. This also makes it easier to create effective health programs that extend the lifespan of the patient.

References

https://www.health.harvard.edu/newsletter_article/taking-aim-at-belly-fat

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK535456

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5515463/

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK519042/

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6178563/