VFL
Visceral Fat Level (VFL)
Visceral Fat Level is the estimate of fat around the organs converted onto a coarse whole-number scale.
Short answer
VFL is visceral fat rounded to a whole number. It works well as shorthand, but its coarse divisions make it unsuited to tracking small changes — the area in cm² or waist circumference is better for that.
What the value represents
VFL carries the same information as Visceral Fat Area, only rounded. Instead of an area in cm² you get a whole number without a unit.
The scale exists for legibility. A number is easier to remember than an area and people work with it more easily between visits.
The price of that simplicity is a loss of resolution. The manual states that one level corresponds to roughly 10 cm², so a change the area would capture may not show in the level at all.
Like the area, it is an estimate from bioimpedance, not an image of fat. The manual names CT as the reference method for actual measurement.
- An estimate of the amount of visceral fat expressed as a whole number on the manufacturer scale.
- A derived value rather than a separate measurement: it comes from the same estimated visceral fat area.
- It does not represent the mass of fat, its volume or subcutaneous fat.
How the value is produced
- A derived value. It arises by converting the estimated visceral fat area onto a scale; the area itself is an estimate from bioimpedance.
- The manual states that one level corresponds to roughly 10 cm² and that level 10 corresponds to roughly 100 cm².
- The manual also contains an example conversion of a particular level into a range in cm² that contradicts that rule. We therefore do not present an exact level-to-area conversion as fact — for following development the area in cm² is the better choice.
How to read the current value
- The boundary the manual works with is level 10, corresponding to roughly 100 cm². From there upwards the manual speaks of an increased risk of lifestyle-related disease. That is a general population statement by the manufacturer, not an assessment of your health.
- Treat the level as a band rather than an exact number. Within a single level the span is roughly 10 cm².
- According to the manual visceral fat rises with age, so the same level means a different position relative to peers at different ages.
- If your result also shows the area in cm², follow that in preference.
How to read change over time
- The level changes in jumps. The same level as last time does not mean nothing changed.
- A change of one level corresponds to roughly 10 cm². That is on the order of ordinary variation between measurements, so a single one-level jump is not in itself evidence of change.
- For following a trend use Visceral Fat Area or waist circumference; both have finer resolution.
General principles: how to read change between measurements →
What to read it with
- Visceral Fat Area (VFA) – the same figure at finer resolution and with a unit.
- Waist-hip ratio – the manual uses the combination of WHR and visceral fat level to tell whether abdominal obesity is predominantly visceral or subcutaneous.
- Waist circumference – a more independent indicator of abdominal fat.
- Percent Body Fat – the total amount the level does not contain.
- Weight – context for whether this is an overall change or a redistribution.
Common misunderstandings
- The level is not a grade and it is not a scale from one to ten with a maximum. It is a converted area.
- The level is not the mass of fat in kilograms.
- The same level in two people does not mean the same visceral fat area.
- A value above the boundary is not a diagnosis. InBody does not diagnose metabolic syndrome or any other condition.
- Levels from different brands of device are not comparable, because each manufacturer uses its own scale.
What can affect the result short term
- Food and drink shortly before the measurement.
- A full bladder; the manual recommends using the toilet beforehand.
- Training, sauna and showering shortly before the measurement.
- Hydration status generally, because the body composition estimate starts from body water.
- Time of day and the menstrual cycle.
- The presence of the Yscope module, which the manufacturer says sharpens abdominal fat analysis.
What to do next
- If your result shows both the area and the level, follow the area. Use the level as quick orientation.
- Add a tape-measured waist circumference to the value; it is an independent figure you can verify at home.
- Do not read into a shift of one level between two visits. What matters is the direction across several measurements.
What the value does not determine
- It does not diagnose any condition.
- The coarse divisions of the scale hide small changes.
- An exact level-to-area conversion cannot be reliably derived from the manual, because it contradicts itself on this point.
- It shares every limitation of the bioimpedance visceral fat estimate.
On terminology
- A level is a manufacturer scale, not a standardised unit. Values from different brands of device are not comparable.
In more depth, with sourcesIn more depth: why level and area are not interchangeableExpand the detailed explanation
A level arises by discretising a continuous quantity. Information is lost in the process: values within one interval become indistinguishable and resolution drops to the width of the interval, that is roughly 10 cm² according to the manual. Statistically this means a level has systematically lower sensitivity to change than the area it came from, and at values near an interval boundary it can jump even on a negligible change in input.
The source moreover contradicts itself on this point. One part of the manual states the rule that one level is roughly 10 cm², together with level 10 corresponding to roughly 100 cm²; another part gives an example conversion that does not match that rule. The contradiction is documented in the repository reference, which is why we do not present a specific level-to-area conversion as fact here. What is certain is what both parts share: the coarseness of the scale and the link between level 10 and roughly 100 cm².
Both values rest on the same estimate, so they share its limits. The manual names CT as the reference method for measuring visceral fat, and the manufacturer internal validation study against DEXA did not cover visceral fat. A level therefore cannot be more accurate than the area — only coarser.
Sources
- InBody 970 Result Sheet Interpretation (ENG_A_211104) — InBody Co., Ltd.
- Validation of InBody 970 (BWA) against DEXA — InBody Co., Ltd.
On this page
Related values
Commonly confused with
Related articles
Where to find it
The Visceral Fat Analysis, circumferences and basal metabolic rate.
- Reviewed by
- MojeInBody content team
- Date
An InBody measurement is not a diagnostic tool. Results do not determine health status and do not replace a medical examination.
FAQ
Frequently asked questions
Answers to what people ask most often about this value.
How many cm² does my level correspond to?
The manual states that one level corresponds to roughly 10 cm² and that level 10 corresponds to roughly 100 cm². The example conversion of a particular level into a range in cm² is internally inconsistent in the manual, however, so do not calculate an exact area from a level. If your result shows the area in cm², use that.
Why is my level the same as last time even though I lost weight?
The level changes in steps roughly 10 cm² wide. A smaller change does not show in the level, even though Visceral Fat Area or waist circumference would capture it.
Is level 10 a health threshold?
No. From that level the manual speaks of an increased risk of lifestyle-related disease, which is a population statement by the manufacturer. Your health status is decided by context the device does not know.
Explanations make the most sense alongside your own trend.
The public guide is open to everyone. The client portal adds your own value, history and the context of a specific measurement.