In the past, people relied on height-weight tables that were based on insurance company mortality statistics, but these were inaccurate because

Question

BlackTom AI · Accepted Answer

Muscle tissue is denser than adipose (fat) tissue, so a given volume of muscle weighs more than the same volume of fat. This density difference is the key concept explaining why simple height‑weight tables based on mortality data were misleading.

Relevant concepts:
- Density and composition: muscle (~1.06 g/mL) is denser than fat (~0.9 g/mL), so two people of identical body volume can have different weights depending on muscle vs. fat proportions.
- Body composition vs. body weight: total weight alone does not indicate health or fitness; lean body mass and fat mass matter.
- Bias in population statistics: insurance mortality data reflect broad populations without detailed body‑composition measures.

Step-by-step reasoning:
1. Height‑weight tables used only two variables (height and weight) to judge “ideal” weight ranges derived from mortality correlations. They ignored how weight is partitioned between lean tissue and fat.
2. Because muscle is denser, a muscular (fit) person can weigh more than a less fit person of the same height who carries more fat. The table would classify the muscular person as overweight even though their body fat is lower and health risk is less.
3. Therefore the tables misclassified many fit individuals and failed to capture the true relationship between body composition and mortality risk.

Why the correct answer is correct:
“Muscle weighs more than fat” captures the essential reason height‑weight tables are inaccurate: they fail to account for differences in tissue density and lean mass, so people with higher muscle mass are penalized by a simple weight standard.

Why the other choices are incorrect:
- “Fat weighs more than muscle.” False: fat is less dense than muscle, so per unit volume fat weighs less.
- “Fit people tend to weigh less than people who are not fit.” Not generally true; fit people often weigh more or the same because of greater muscle mass.
- “A person who is not fit may have a higher bone density than a person who is fit.” Generally false: weight‑bearing activity tends to increase bone density, so fit people usually have equal or higher bone density.

Conclusion: The best answer is “muscle weighs more than fat,” which matches the provided correct answer.

In the past, people relied on height-weight tables that were based on insurance company mortality statistics, but these were inaccurate because单项选择题

类似问题

What is the primary reason why weight is not the most accurate metric to assess fitness, according to the New York Times article “How Fit Are You?”?

If one was to lose weight from dieting over a long period of time, approximately what percentage of the lost weight would be fat and lean mass?

BMI is only an indirect indicator of body fatness and therefore will not accurately classify all individuals, specifically because it fails to distinguish between

According to experts, a percentage of body fat below the range of ________ is unhealthy.

The human body is made up of fat-free mass and

In the past, people relied on height-weight tables that were based on insurance company mortality statistics, but these were inaccurate because

Percent body fat classifications are significantly different for the two sexes. For example, a female could have a percent body fat that is “recommended” (or healthy) while the same percent body fat could be categorized as “obese” for a male of the same age.

The BMI measurement can overestimate obesity in which individual?

更多留学生实用工具

智能学习助手

风格化写作助手

论文查重助手

文献引用助手

课堂转译助手

课堂笔记助手

Quiz搜索助手

学校历年真题

智能刷题助手

智能匹配练习

希望你的学习变得更简单