Body Fat Percentage Chart for Women
Body Fat Percentage: The Basics
The body fat percentage (BFP) is the total mass of fat divided by total body mass, times 100. Total body fat includes two types of fat: essential body fat and storage body fat.
Essential body fat
Essential fat is necessary to maintain life and reproductive functions. Women have higher body fat and essential body fat percentages relative to men for any given level of fitness. This difference is attributed to physiological differences, such as hormones, ovulation and childbearing.
The percentage of essential fat is 4–5% in men, and 10–13% in women.
Storage body fat
Storage body fat consists of fat accumulation in adipose tissue. The main role of adipose tissue is to store energy in the form of lipids, although it also cushions and insulates the body, protecting internal organs in the chest and abdomen. While some storage body fat is needed, excess accumulation of fat can be harmful.
Body Fat Percentage Chart for Women
Your body fat percentage can indicate whether you fall within the "low body fat risk", "ulra lean", "moderately lean", "excess fat" or "high body fat risk" zone.
Body fat percentage chart: Women. © FITNESCITY
Body fat percentage: classification - Women
Under 15%: Low Body Fat Risk.
15%-18%: Ultra Lean.
18%-22%: Lean.
22%-30%: Moderately Lean.
30%-40%: Excess Fat.
Above 40%: High Body Fat Risk.
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Digging a little deeper, visceral fat is of particular concern. Visceral fat lies out of reach, deep within the abdominal cavity, where it pads the spaces between our abdominal organs. It is a key player in a variety of health problems — much more so than subcutaneous fat, the kind you can grasp (or "pinch") with your hand.
The good news is that visceral fat yields fairly easily to exercise and diet. However, Subcutaneous fat located at the waist — the “pinchable” stuff — can be frustratingly difficult to budge, but in normal-weight people, it's generally not considered as much of a health threat as visceral fat is.
Visceral Fat: The Invisible Health Risk
Abdominal, or visceral, fat is important to know because it is a key player in a variety of health problems — much more so than subcutaneous fat, the kind we are all familiar with and that one can grasp with their hand. Visceral fat, on the other hand, lies out of reach, deep within the abdominal cavity, where it pads the spaces between our abdominal organs.
Visceral fat has been linked to metabolic disturbances and increased risk for cardiovascular disease and type 2 diabetes. In women, it is also associated with breast cancer and the need for gallbladder surgery.
It is well-established that both the distribution and volume of fat, especially visceral adipose tissue (VAT), is a predictor of future health. While normal amounts of visceral fat pad and protect organs, an excess amount of VAT is strongly associated with metabolic syndrome and increases health risks for cancer, stroke, diabetes, cardiovascular disease, and hypertension. Excess VAT can impact lifestyle by increasing the risk of dementia, depression, arthritis, sexual dysfunction, and sleep disorders. Storing excess fat around the organs increases the production of inflammatory substances that interfere with hormones that control appetite, weight, mood, and brain function.
Visceral Fat: How to Measure It
There are several methods for quantifying VAT, including waist-to-hip measurement, bioelectrical impedance, dual-energy absorptiometry (DEXA), CT, MRI, and ultrasound. Although CT is considered the gold standard because of its accuracy and reliability, its drawbacks are exposure to ionizing radiation and the relatively high cost of a CT exam. DEXA has been found to be an accurate means for measuring VAT volume and is generally more accessible to the general population.
The DEXA body composition scan offers several advantages compared to CT including reduced radiation dose, decreased scan times, and lower cost.4 Importantly, obtaining VAT measurements with DEXA is easily performed in conjunction with evaluation of bone mineral density, fracture assessment and risk, and whole body composition.
Learn more: Visceral Fat: The Invisible Health Risk, Vyvyane Loh, MD CEO and Medical Director Transform Institute for Metabolic & Lifestyle Medicine.
Learn more: Visceral Fat: The Invisible Health Risk - Vyvyane Loh, MD CEO and Medical Director Transform Institute for Metabolic & Lifestyle Medicine.