Body Fat Percentage

What is Body Fat Percentage?

Body fat percentage is the proportion of your total body weight that consists of fat tissue, serving as a key indicator of overall health and fitness. Unlike weight alone, it provides insight into body composition and helps assess disease risk, metabolic health, and physical performance.

Understanding Body Fat Percentage

Body fat percentage is calculated as (fat mass ÷ total body mass) × 100. It distinguishes between fat mass and lean mass (muscle, bone, organs, and water), offering a more accurate health profile than weight or BMI alone. Two people of identical height and weight can have very different body compositions and health risks.

Your body has two main types of fat:

• Essential fat: Required for normal physiological function, hormone production, and organ protection. Men need ~2–5% of body weight as essential fat, women ~10–13% for reproductive health.
• Storage fat: Found under the skin (subcutaneous) and around organs (visceral), serving as an energy reserve and insulation.

Why Body Fat Percentage Matters for Health

Body fat percentage directly correlates with risks for type 2 diabetes, cardiovascular disease, certain cancers, and metabolic syndrome — especially when excess visceral fat is present. Visceral fat releases inflammatory compounds that impair insulin sensitivity and increase cardiovascular risk. Extremely low body fat can also cause hormonal disruption, reduced immunity, and decreased bone density.

Measuring both body fat percentage and waist-to-hip ratio provides a more complete metabolic health picture than BMI or weight alone.

Healthy Body Fat Ranges by Age and Gender

Ranges differ for men and women due to biological differences in essential fat needs:

Men

• Essential fat: 2–5%
• Athletes: 6–13%
• Fitness: 14–17%
• Average: 18–24%
• Above average: ≥ 25%

Women

• Essential fat: 10–13%
• Athletes: 14–20%
• Fitness: 21–24%
• Average: 25–31%
• Above average: ≥ 32%

After age 30, body fat percentage often increases ~1% per decade due to muscle loss and metabolic changes. Healthy ranges adjust upward with age while maintaining metabolic health.

Methods to Measure Body Fat Percentage

• DEXA scan: Gold standard with ~1–2% margin of error; detailed analysis of fat, muscle, and bone.
• Bioelectrical impedance analysis (BIA): Sends a small electrical current through the body; accuracy varies with hydration, timing, and device quality (3–5% margin).
• Skinfold calipers: Measures subcutaneous fat at set points; requires trained technique.
• 3D body scanning apps: Smartphone-based tools, such as the SiPhox Health app, validated against DEXA for convenient at-home tracking of fat %, lean mass %, and waist-to-hip ratio.

Optimizing Your Body Fat Percentage

• Exercise: Combine resistance training (preserves muscle) with cardiovascular exercise for best results.
• Nutrition: Aim for 0.8–1.2 g protein per pound of body weight when improving body composition; eat nutrient-dense whole foods.
• Stress and sleep: Manage cortisol and get adequate sleep to avoid abdominal fat gain.
• Biomarker monitoring: Track cortisol, testosterone, thyroid hormones (TSH), and HbA1c to uncover hormonal or metabolic barriers to fat loss.

Regular body composition tracking, paired with biomarker testing, ensures your approach is effective and sustainable for both health and performance.

DISCLAIMER: IF YOU ARE CONCERNED WITH ANY OF YOUR RESULTS, PLEASE CONSULT WITH YOUR PHYSICIAN.