Clinical Medicine & Physiology
Deurenberg Body Fat % from BMI Formula: Adult (>= 16 yr) & Child Age-Sex Equations
Estimate underwater-weighing Percent Body Fat (%BF) from BMI, Age, and Sex using Paul Deurenberg et al.’s (1991, Br. J. Nutr.) adult equation (1.20*BMI + 0.23*Age - 10.8*Male - 5.4) and pediatric equation (1.51*BMI - 0.70*Age - 3.6*Male + 1.4).
Why two adults with identical BMI = 25 kg/m^2 differ by > 13% in true body fat!
At an identical BMI of 25.0 kg/m^2, a 65-year-old woman carries roughly ~15% higher body fat percentage than a 25-year-old man due to sexual dimorphism in essential/subcutaneous fat (+10.8% in women) and age-related sarcopenic muscle-to-fat replacement (+0.23% BF per year of adult aging)! Calibrating against hydrostatic underwater weighing across 1,229 healthy subjects aged 7 to 83 years, Paul Deurenberg, Jan A. Weststrate, and Jaap C. Seidell (1991, British Journal of Nutrition) published separate adult (>= 16 yr) and child (<= 15 yr) prediction equations!
For Adults (Age >= 16 yr): %BF = 1.20 * BMI + 0.23 * Age_yr - 10.8 * Sex_Male(0/1) - 5.4 (standard error ~4.0% BF)! For Children & Adolescents (7 to 15 yr, where linear pubertal lean growth reduces %BF with age): %BF = 1.51 * BMI - 0.70 * Age_yr - 3.6 * Sex_Male(0/1) + 1.4!
| Subject Profile at Identical BMI = 25.0 kg/m^2 | Deurenberg Equation | Predicted Body Fat (%) |
|---|---|---|
| 25-yr-old Adult Male (Male = 1) | 1.20*25 + 0.23*25 - 10.8 - 5.4 | 19.55% BF |
| 65-yr-old Adult Male (Male = 1) | 1.20*25 + 0.23*65 - 10.8 - 5.4 | 28.75% BF |
| 65-yr-old Adult Female (Male = 0) | 1.20*25 + 0.23*65 - 0 - 5.4 | 39.55% BF |
Deurenberg (1991) Age-Branched Adult & Child Body Fat Percentage (%BF)
Automatically selects Deurenberg’s adult (>= 16 yr) or pediatric (7 to < 16 yr) equation across BMI B2 (12–65 kg/m^2), Age B3 (7–95 yr), and Sex_Male B4 (1 = Male, 0 = Female).
=IF(OR(B2 < 12, B2 > 65, B3 < 7, B3 > 95, AND(B4 <> 0, B4 <> 1)), "Invalid BMI, Age (7–95 yr), or Sex_Male (0/1)", ROUND(IF(B3 >= 16, 1.2 * B2 + 0.23 * B3 - 10.8 * B4 - 5.4, 1.51 * B2 - 0.7 * B3 - 3.6 * B4 + 1.4), 2))Estimated Fat Mass (kg) = Body_Weight * (%BF / 100)
Multiplies body weight B5 (kg) by Deurenberg predicted %BF / 100 for adult subjects.
=IF(OR(B2 < 12, B2 > 65, B3 < 16, B3 > 95, AND(B4 <> 0, B4 <> 1), B5 <= 0), "Invalid Adult Anthropometric Inputs", ROUND(B5 * (1.2 * B2 + 0.23 * B3 - 10.8 * B4 - 5.4) / 100, 2))Try the example
Use the original values or change them to test your understanding.