Men with low body fat percentages can suffer from fat-related health issues. Lean tissue from bones, muscles and organs combine with fat to create total body weight. Fat percentage is a component of body composition and refers to the amount of total weight comprised of fat. Men with excessively low fat may be lacking an essential amount of body fat required for health.
Function of Essential Fat
Essential fat plays a key role in metabolic, hormonal and immune system function. Cell membranes are made of fat lipids and utilize aspects of fat for hormonal regulation. According to "Nutrition for Health, Fitness and Sport" by Melvin H. Williams, the greatest amount of energy stored in the body is fat in the form of triglycerides. The average adult male stores 80,000 to 100,000 calories worth of body fat.
Healthy Fat Ranges for Men
"Nancy Clark's Sports Nutrition Guidebook" lists essential fat for males as 3 to 5 percent while 25 percent or higher is considered obese. Although male athletes tend to have a fat percentage of 5 to 7 percent, 13 to 17 percent is considered a normal healthy range. Women require a higher level of essential fat and follow sex-specific guidelines.
Risks of Low Fat Percentage
Men who reduce fat below an essential 3 to 5 percent face immune, reproductive and metabolic system dysfunction. The body utilizes fat as its main energy source during rest and low-intensity activities. Therefore, men with low body fat have low energy and may require excess sleep. A man with minimal body fat will often feel cold because body fat contributes to temperature regulation. Loss of body hair is an additional sign that essential body fat has been compromised.
Sport Performance
Many endurance-based sports, such as distance running, cause low body weight. Although low body weight benefits sports performance, too little body fat is detrimental. Men must maintain essential body fat for proper energy usage during sport and daily activity.
Considerations
Most colleges provide body fat testing to the public at a reduced cost and rough estimates can be calculated online using height and weight. All tests and calculations are estimates and have their own range of accuracy. Body fat recommendations cannot consider the multitude of differences among individuals. Therefore, body fat ranges are for information only and do not replace medical attention or advice. Please consult a doctor if you believe your body fat is at an unhealthy level.
References
- "Anatomy and Physiology"; Kenneth Saladin; 2007
- "Nutrition for Health, Fitness, and Sport"; Melvin H. Williams; 2007
- "Nancy Clark's Sports Nutrition Guidebook"; Nancy Clark; 2008
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