The norm of adipose tissue in men. What is the normal percentage of body fat for health

Anyone who has any interest in a healthy way life and weight loss knows that a big role for appearance plays exactly percentage of body fat. The fashion for a magnificent figure has long passed, and by modern standards, beauty lies in a slender, toned, athletic body. Accordingly, the lower its percentage in the body, the more aesthetically pleasing a person looks.

But here, too, there are norms, neglecting which you risk getting obesity or anorexia instead of beauty. Also, the content of fats in the body within the normal range is extremely important for health. Deviations in one direction or another can lead to disastrous consequences, sometimes even irreparable. The fat layer is recruited not only on muscle tissue, but also on the internal organs, which is especially dangerous. You've probably heard the term "visceral fat". So what is the optimal body fat content? How to properly reduce its percentage and not harm health? Where is the line between beautiful slenderness and excessive thinness, and where is the "take" the desired relief? To understand how to determine the percentage of body fat, read the information below to find out the answers to the questions.

If you have overweight body and the naked eye can see that the percentage of fat is above the norm, then you do not need accurate measurements. They are necessary for athletes who carefully control their nutrition and exercise. It is difficult for them to determine something “by eye”.

There are many methods for determining its percentage in the body, but, unfortunately, not all of them are accurate:

• caliper - a specialized device with a scale - has a high error;
• x-ray - minimal deviations;
• special scales and other gadgets - an error of about 6% (strongly depends on the current state of the body);
• bioelectrical resistance - there is also an error;
• "by eye" - the error is large, but the method is the simplest and most common.

Let's take a closer look at each. The caliper measures the thickness of the skin on the fat fold. Measurements are taken at multiple locations, and then the results are summed up and applied to multiple equations. Cons of this method: the equations are not accurate initially, clamping less skin you will get an underestimated result, and holding more, respectively, an overestimated one. So it will not work to calculate the correct coefficient. X-ray has a smaller error than the previous method, but still not accurate, this has already been proven by a number of studies. Moreover, a lot depends on the device itself, body condition, gender, weight and many other factors. The error ranges from 4 to 10%. by the most exact method determining the percentage of body fat is a four-section analysis.

Here the body is conditionally divided into four components:

• bones;
• water;
• muscles;
• adipose tissues.

All this is individually “weighed”, and the results go through a special formula. This method will help to reliably calculate the percentage of body fat for women and men. Judging "by eye", in a relief body there is about 10% fat, when in a slender, without relief it is already up to 20%. Well, if there is obesity of any stage - there is no less than 50%.

Practical advice: When determining the percentage in this way, you need to remember the role of muscle mass. The same indicator will be for the "rolling" and thin. The difference is only in the relief.

body fat calculator

Result: There is approximately fat (or) in your body.

What is the minimum body fat percentage

It is completely impossible to get rid of the fat layer, since it is also necessary for normal operation organism.

Please note: For men, the minimum content is 5%, for women - 13%. If the percentage is below normal, failure of the internal organs will follow.

There is such a case in history. A bodybuilder who overdid it with getting rid of fat has died. A small part of the fat is and should be in all human organs and systems.

In addition to it, there are 2 more types:

• subcutaneous;
• visceral.

The latter accumulates on the internal organs and it is more difficult to get rid of it. A small amount of fat is provided for the normal functioning of the body, but its excess leads to many serious diseases.

Normal (healthy) body fat percentage

Completeness cannot be healthy by definition. The World Health Organization has a table that indicates a healthy percentage of body fat.

As mentioned earlier, a low content of subcutaneous (and not only) fiber leads to death, and a high content leads to many diseases. There is a norm of body fat content and it should be adhered to.

Visceral fat

For a long time, the accumulation of visceral fat in adults was attributed to genetics - predisposition and so on. But scientists nevertheless proved that a fat aunt is not to blame for your fullness. The content of visceral fat increases along with subcutaneous fat, and genetics has nothing to do with it.

It becomes harmful when contained:

• in men from 20%;
• in women from 40%.

Decreased percentage of body fat

Losing weight is a difficult task, but doable. In the first pair, kilograms go faster than the last. At first glance, everything is simple - you need to eat less (kcal) than you spend. So the body begins to take energy from fat reserves, burning them. But the slimmer you become, the harder it is to get rid of a couple of extra pounds.

Please note: The greater the initial body weight (fat), the faster it goes away from the first weeks of training. Further more difficult. As fat mass decreases, more and more efforts are required to achieve the next result.

For example, the initial weight is 100 kg. For the first month of training and proper nutrition you can lose 5-10 kg. For the second month, 3-7 kg are spent with the same loads, and so on. Therefore, you need to increase the load as the weight decreases. With the choice of the correct initial and further exercises, an experienced trainer can help, and it is better to contact a nutritionist for the selection of a diet. The percentage of body fat in both weight loss and professional sports is more important than the calculation of BMI (body mass index). The latter shows only the ratio of height and weight, there are even calculators for calculating it. But for a full assessment physical development This is not enough.

What to do to get the desired relief

When losing weight, it is important not only to get rid of fat, but also to achieve firmness and relief of muscles, albeit not very pronounced. Below are recommendations on what to do and what not to do every day to move from one "fat category" to another.

Conclusion

A normal percentage of fat requires constant maintenance: proper nutrition, physical activity. Above normal values ​​can lead to a variety of diseases, including diabetes, problems with the heart muscle and the whole vascular system, joint diseases and so on. List possible complications too long.

Let's explore what is normal percentage body fat

Previously, men (and even some women) set their main goal - to pump muscles. But times are changing and now the main thing is “dry” mass, namely getting rid of fat mass in order to show the muscles as much as possible. Just think of Brad Pitt in Fight Club or Cristiano Ronaldo at any point in time over the last ten years. Expressed muscles, not adipose tissue.

A similar figure - dry body weight, without excess deposits - has recently become the main goal of trainers and visitors. gyms. But even if you do not strive for such pronounced muscles, it is worth knowing what percentage of body fat is the norm and whether you need to change it, since this amount is one of the main indicators of the health of the body.

"A normal body fat percentage reduces the risk of developing a variety of diseases," explains Dr. Luke Powles of medical center Bupa's Crossrail in London.

“It has been repeatedly proven that increased content fat in the body leads to increased levels of cholesterol and blood pressure, which are risk factors for the development of cardiovascular disease. Also similar condition can cause certain types of cancer and diabetes. In men, high body fat leads to erectile dysfunction.

But percentage body fat to muscle mass should not be too low, since underweight also leads to the development of a number of diseases.

How much fat should ideally be? For men 20-39 years old, the rate of body fat varies from 8 to 20%, for men aged 40-59 - from 11 to 22%. Now it is much easier to find out your body fat percentage: smart scales, pocket scanners and fitness trackers will easily provide all the information about body composition. For conservatives (or economical) there is also an option - a caliper.

Before you start losing fat, it's worth learning a little about the biological processes behind it. Let's start with two types of fat: irreplaceable and accumulated.

Essential Fats

Essential fats are essential fats for healthy and normal functioning our body. For men, this is about 3% of the total body weight. Free of essential fatty acids such as omega-3s from oily fish, nuts and seeds, the body is not able to process such useful material, like vitamins A, K and D, which are responsible for immunity, blood clotting and calcium absorption. Fat is also needed to protect internal organs and to regulate internal temperature body.

Accumulated fat

The other kind, cumulative, is the result of an excess of calories consumed. When we eat, calories that are not immediately used for functioning (for example, to provide energy for breathing or to store heart rate) are converted into triglycerides, which make up stored fat. Frequent calorie surplus causing fat accumulation leads to weight gain. On the other hand, repeated calorie deficits force the body to use stored fat mass for energy, depleting stores and leading to weight loss.

Percentage of body fat

Simply put, fat is unused energy that is life-threatening. Its percentage in the body is the ratio of fat mass to total body weight. Returning to the question of what percentage of fat should be in the human body, it should be noted that this number is influenced by many factors, such as height, gender and heredity. It is generally considered that the "healthy" percentage for men aged 20 to 40 is at least 8% and no more than 20%. At healthy woman in the same age group, the percentage of body fat should be between 15% and 31%. These figures are based on data from the Royal College of Nursing for November 2015.

Table of percentage of body fat for men of different age groups

Most people can navigate by these indicators, however, it should be remembered that the table does not take into account the individual fitness goals of each. Bodybuilders typically aim for ultra-lean muscle mass and a body fat percentage of no more than 5-8%. Cyclists, gymnasts - some of the "drier" athletes - usually have from 5 to 12% body fat. In order to look as bold as possible, the indicator should be from 5 to 10%.

BMI and body weight

Percentage of body fat best indicator health. It is better suited for determining the constitution than the body mass index (BMI) that is starting to become obsolete or just weighing. Weight can vary greatly depending on hormonal surges, time of day, amount of food eaten and drunk before getting on the scales.

If you are very tall and heavily muscled, you are more likely to be in the overweight or even obese category according to your BMI. The problem is, BMI was developed in 1832 by the Belgian mathematician Adolphe Quetelet to determine the average person (determining how weight increases according to height), and not to detect underweight or obesity.

In the 1980s, BMI was adopted as a powerful tool for determining life expectancy, and has been the bane of muscular people ever since. Often, due to BMI, young people cannot get into the police service and other career-oriented physical state structures, since they still use this indicator when receiving. However, by measuring your body fat percentage, you're actually measuring body fat, not getting an estimate based on height and weight alone.

For the right and more effective weight loss, it is necessary not only to strictly adhere to diets and the regularity of physical activity, but it is also very important to have an idea of ​​\u200b\u200bwhat kind of fat is superfluous and where it is useful. This ratio is quite different in each certain period life time.

With the growth of the body, the features of the human body also change, including muscle mass and the proportion of obligatory fat. Therefore, over time, the weight should increase. You should be wary if it constantly falls or remains stable for many years. Everyone tries to regulate their weight in the same way, choosing for this the lightest and most affordable way- weighing. But it does not always show reliable results. You can exhaust yourself with workouts and diets, and the result will remain at the same mark. Most likely this is due to the fact that all body fat, which were before, turned into muscles, so this did not greatly affect the overall proportion of body mass. Perhaps the combination of diet and exercise. Sometimes body weight is reduced so much that it becomes critical and dangerous to health.

Determine how much fat a person will help special methods and knowledge of the features of your body. There are many formulas for calculating the required percentage, but only the result will depend on how athletic, normal or thin a person is. Often, skeletal structure and genetic predisposition also play a role here. Until recently, the method of weight-for-height ratio was used to determine the percentage of fat in the human body. But in practice, it still turned out to prove that there is no direct connection between these two units. It is worth considering gender, because the characteristics of the body of a man and a woman in terms of fat content are very different. So a man has a higher percentage than a woman. It is customary to consider the former to have a norm of 15%, and for the latter 25%. Any deviation is a violation and it can adversely affect health in general.

The main feature is the so-called "basic" fat, which in women serves primarily to maintain and protect the fetus. It is mainly found in the buttocks, chest, on the inner thighs, in the genital area. In any case, it is this fat that is the most difficult to get rid of. It accounts for about 12% of the total body weight. Women have 5% more than men. Both have body fat in all vital organs, such as the brain, heart, liver, and others. Its share is approximately 3-4% and 8-9% in women and men, respectively. But in order to lose weight correctly, it is necessary to determine the percentage of fat in general, which will show whether there is a surplus or a deficit.

There are several methods to make such calculations, but each of them has its own characteristics and errors. The main thing is not to forget to focus on the physique, applying formulas to biometric data: height, weight, volumes. It is their complex that gives more accurate indicators.

Quite common in fitness centers and sports and recreational facilities is a method based on measuring the skin fold using a special tool that is very similar to a caliper. It is used in several areas of the body, for example, on the back, sides, abdomen, chest, thighs. After receiving the data, calculations are carried out. Thus, the specific percentage of fat accumulation is determined. Now this can be done with computed tomography, but this is a rather expensive service that does not have a wide range of applications.

The method of ultrasonic measurement is also common. The technology is the same as with conventional ultrasound. Many experts believe that it does not show a reliable result. This is explained by the fact that often the device is not able to recognize adipose tissue located too close to the muscle, mistaking one for the other. Quite often use bioelectrical resistance. This method is based on the passage of a weak electric current through the whole body. Given that fat is not able to pass such impulses, they make an appropriate conclusion about its presence in a certain part of the body, calculating the percentage. This method was adopted in modern world a more perfect image in the form of an electronic platform. But at the same time, the error of the inaccurate result is very high.

There are simpler and no less effective ways determine whether there is excess fat in a person using calculations. You can stop at the calculation of the body mass index, which will tell you what state the body is in. To do this, you need to take the ratio of mass in kilograms to height in square meters. An indicator from 19 to 25 is considered the norm. A lower value is a lack of weight, a larger value is an excess, and after 30 - obesity. You can find out the amount of fat (QOL) in kilograms using the formula: multiply the basic body mass (BMI) by BMI, and the difference between BMI and QOL will help determine the net weight.

For the following methods, you can use improvised means - this is a tailor's meter and ruler. In the first case, it is worth measuring the volume of the hips and waist. This is the most accurate way to know and further control your body fat percentage. It is necessary to divide the waist by the hips, now you can analyze the result, where the starting point is the value of 0.8. The second method requires pinching skin fold on my shoulder next to armpit and measure its thickness with a ruler. The average should be 2.5 cm.

Knowing the exact biometric data, you can take into account all the features of diets and be based on the principle: spend more calories than the body consumes during meals. To do this, you need to consume the necessary amount of protein and healthy fatty acids in your diet.

When calculating the percentage of fat in a person, in addition to the above parameters, it is very important to take into account the age of each. All of these features affect final result. It should be borne in mind that the older the body, the more "base" fat accumulates.

Body fat percentage is a great indicator of health and a metric to look at when losing weight. The average percentage of body fat in men and women is different, as in different age groups. In the table below, you can see the different body fat percentages for men and women, with a picture of what all these body fat percentages look like. Try measuring your body fat professionally, or use it to estimate your body fat percentage.

Average Fat Levels for Athletes

Percentage of fat from low to high

Weight loss and minimum percentage of body fat

It is impossible to lower fat levels to zero. Body fat can be divided into essential fat And storage fat. Essential fat is essential for the proper functioning of the immune and hormonal systems and is located in the main organs of the body, such as: heart, lungs, Bone marrow and muscles. Low level essential fat adversely affects the physical and physiological health. Women have extra essential fat in their breasts, pelvis, and thighs, which is a biological necessity for childbearing. Essential fats make up at least 10-13% for women and 5% for men of total body weight. Storage fats, on the other hand, are used as fuel for the body when needed, and are essential for health as well. They protect internal organs chest and belly. The percentage of this fat fluctuates, as does weight, which changes as we gain or lose it.

Essential fats and some storage fats are essential for the normal functioning of the body. This is especially true for women, in whom very low body fat levels can cause impairment/loss menstrual cycle(amenorrhea), which in turn can lead to estrogen deficiency, infertility, hair loss, decreased density bone tissue and premature osteoporosis. As a general rule, any woman who strives to keep her body fat below 12-15% and/or overtrains will experience these disorders. However, much also depends on how and how it was supported. The point at which amenorrhea can occur for all women is different, for some it can be at the level of 18%, for others at 16% or 12%. It is important to understand that even when resuming normal menstruation, some of the changes that have taken place may be irreversible. For example, loss of bone minerals (increased risk of developing osteoporosis - bone fragility). Especially it concerns adolescence, during which 60 - 80% of the bones of the skeleton are formed and fixed. Low levels of estrogen during this time will cause inhibition and suppression of normal sexual growth and development.

Amenorrhea is never healthy, desirable, or acceptable. This is a sign that something is wrong. If you have stopped menstruating after a period of weight loss, then you may have gone too far. Try gaining some weight and see if it restores your periods and check with your doctor.

Obesity and too much body fat

• The percentage of fat in the body of 30% is the limit for women, 35% is already clinical obesity. While in men the line is 25%, obesity is 30%.
• High body fat levels are a risk factor for many diseases, including cardiovascular diseases, stroke, high blood pressure, diabetes, certain types of cancer, and osteoarthritis.
• Excess fat makes it difficult to achieve results in sports. High body fat is a kind of "dead weight" that leads to reduced performance in speed, endurance, movement efficiency, agility, balance, and jumping ability. However, if you are overweight, you should not avoid exercise, just follow some simple advice the exercises on this site.

About fat cells

Body fat is stored in fat cells, and everyone is born with a certain amount of fat cells. And this number does not change. When we gain or lose weight, all that changes is the size of these fat cells - they can grow or shrink in size. However, there are exceptions to every rule, and there are two times when the number of fat cells can increase:

• During puberty, when the number of fat cells increases.
• With severe obesity (when more than 60% of body fat, i.e. 170% normal weight body), fat cells can no longer grow more and store more fat in themselves, because. have reached their limit in size, so additional fat cells begin to be produced.

When an adult loses fat, fat cells shrink in size. The only way to reduce the number of fat cells is to surgical removal, i.e. liposuction. However, liposuction does not affect the size of the remaining fat cells and does not guarantee that they will stop growing. Thus, liposuction cannot guarantee the prevention of weight gain. Liposuction, like any fat removal procedure, is limited to only removing a relatively small number of fat cells.