Final answer:
It is true that predicting cutability requires knowledge about subcutaneous fat and muscle quantity. Subcutaneous fat influences weight but does not enhance cutability, unlike lean muscle. Various methods are used to assess body fatness, and obesity's implications on health and imaging techniques are significant.
Step-by-step explanation:
To predict cutability, which refers to the amount and quality of usable meat on an animal, it is indeed true that knowledge of the amount of subcutaneous fat and the amount of muscle is important. Muscles contribute to the lean meat content, while subcutaneous fat adds to the total weight, but the fat content is less desirable for cutability because it does not represent lean edible meat. Different factors, including hormones like testosterone and estrogen, as well as genetics, influence the distribution and accumulation of fat on the body. It's important to differentiate between subcutaneous fat and visceral fat, which is stored in the abdominal cavity and poses more health risks. Methods to measure body fat directly or indirectly vary, from skin-fold tests and Body Mass Index (BMI) measurements to waist circumference measurements for assessing visceral fat levels.
Issues with imaging techniques such as ultrasound imaging in the abdominal region arise when someone is overweight because of increased subcutaneous fat which can obscure the image. Leaner individuals typically provide clearer imaging due to less subcutaneous fat, which allows for better sound wave transmission necessary to produce a high-resolution ultrasound image.
Regarding obesity, it is true that fat has more calories per gram than proteins or carbohydrates, contributing to its high energy storage capability. Obesity can be disadvantageous in many contexts due to its association with various health risks, though fat can also serve as insulation and aid in thermoregulation.