What is the Difference Between Body Mass and Body Weight?

The difference between body mass and body weight lies in their definitions and the factors they account for.

• Body Mass: Body mass refers to the total amount of lean tissue, fat, bones, and organs in the body. It is a measure of the individual's body composition, which includes muscle, bone, water, and fat.
• Body Weight: Body weight is the measurement of the force exerted by gravity on an individual's body. It is the result of multiplying an object's mass by the acceleration due to gravity.

In summary, body mass is a measure of the total mass of an individual's body components, while body weight is a measure of the force exerted on the body by gravity. These two terms are related but distinct, and they provide different information about a person's physiological state.

Comparative Table: Body Mass vs Body Weight

The difference between body mass and body weight lies in the composition of the measures. Body mass refers to the amount of matter or material that makes up an individual's body and is measured by how much the person weighs. Body composition, on the other hand, refers to the makeup of an individual's body in regard to fat mass and fat-free mass (lean mass). Here is a table comparing the two:

Body Mass Index (BMI) is a commonly used measure to assess a person's weight status and risk of obesity-related diseases. However, BMI has limitations as it does not distinguish between fat and muscle, which can lead to errors in assessing the health risks of individuals with normal weight but high body fat percentages. For a more accurate assessment of an individual's risk of weight-related diseases, body composition measurements, such as body fat percentage, may provide a better picture.