Body fat also known as adipose fat or fat is the human body's means of storing energy reserves.  These energy deposits are composed of cells known as Adipocytes.

Fat tissues is the second most abundant substance found in the human body and can vary greatly between individuals often ranging anywhere from 5%-60% body fat composition.  The abundance of adipose tissue is second only to water in the human body.

An average male will generally be composed of anywhere from 15% to 20% body fat.  The percentage tends to gradually rise with the progression of the aging process as at age 18 the average male has about 18% body fat while at age 65 the average male will have around 40% fat tissue. 

Ideally, a healthy man would have about 10% body fat with 7% considered very lean and a composition of less then 5% is regarded as cause for concern.  Many times in the bodybuilding world contestants will routinely reach body fat percentages of 5%.  This is an entirely different discussion that we won't get into as these circumstances and practices should never apply to non-competative bodybuilders.

The average female body contains anywhere from 20%-27% adipose tissue.  A healthy female will ideally range anywhere between 12%-15% and a fat composition of less the 12% is regarded as unhealthy and in many cases can cause complete cessation of menstruation which is often seen in anorexia nervosa as a result of body wasting and the hormonal changes that ensue as a result of such a low body fat composition.

What is Fat made of?

The fatty acid composition of adipose tissue can vary greatly as a result of dietary influence.  The dietary fats we consume such as saturated, monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fatty acids directly affect this.  Fats in the form of Triglycerides comprise about 85% of adipose tissue while protein and water comprise 2% and 10% respectively.

The following is a break down of the different types of fat:

Abdominal Fat	Visceral fat that accumulates around the stomach
Brown Adipose Tissue	Adipose tissue that stimulates the burning of white adipose tissue for energy
Cellulite	Term used to describe subcutaneous (under the skin) tissue arond the thighs and buttocks
Femoral Fat	Adipose tissue that accumulates on the hips and thighs
Subcutaneous Tissue	Adipose tissue that resides immediately under the dermal layer of the skin
Visceral Fat	Adipose tissue that accumulates aruond the body's internal organs
White Adipose Tissue	All adipose tissue other than brown adipose tissue.

 

A truly healthy body composition can’t be assessed by simply stepping on the scale. You must measure body fat percentage. Your total body weight doesn’t give you a complete picture and as a result is not adequate to make a fair assessment of your body weight and the impact it may play on your health.

Even the industry standard BMI or body mass index may mislead you as neither this index nor the number on the scale take into account ones body fat percentage.

The significance of this on your health and longevity is profound for many reasons.

Muscle burns significantly more calories then fat. The more muscle tissue you have in comparison to fat mass (or the leaner your body composition) the more calories your body burns at rest.

There are many factors that affect your metabolism; your body fat percentage and composition is one vital statistic that can hep gauge your weight loss progress over time.  Measuring ones body fat, a simple test, offers a fair assessment of an individuals starting point and helps us prioritize the type of weight and individual must lose inorder to positively impact ones health.

If you are in the New York metro area and would like to come in for a free body fat screening feel free to email us here with the subject 'body fat screening' and we'll be glad to provide you with this complimentary service.

Otherwise you may try a local gym in your area or order your own body fat analyzer online to help track your progress.  In the future we will be reviewing some of the body fat analyzers out there to help you make a better decision when pruchasing your own.

If you're looking for supplements that may be helpful for burning fat more efficiently and losing weight take a look at some of these products from vitamin research.  Just type in 'weight loss' into their search bar and it will generate a list of products currently available.

If you're in need of some guidance and would like the help of a professional to reclaim or enhance your health and wellbeing check out some of our how to resources. 

These program are designed and supervised by our team of qualified doctors, nutritionists & fitness experts and many of them can be done without ever leaving your home via our 'virtual office' program.

How to...Reverse the aging process naturally

How to...Drop pounds of unwanted body fat, safely and steadily

How to...Perform your best, physically and mentally

 

Or, if you'd like to continue reading we'd suggest learning about your body mass index or BMI or click on anyone of the following links to learn more about a particular subject:

 

Body Mass Index, BMI & BMI calculators

Nutrition Supplements: Do We Get Enough Nutrition From Our Food?

Detoxification & Elimination

Neurotransmitter Imbalance & Associated Neurotransmitter Diseases

Statistics About Weight Loss & Obesity

Anti-Aging Statistics & Successful Age-Management

Biomarkers & Bio-Identical Hormones