The President's Council on Physical Fitness and Sports states that normal body fat percentage for men is around 15%. For women, they claim about 20% of body weight should be fat. So why is there a 5% difference in ideal body fat percentage between men and women?
Women store fat differently than men – Fat in a women's body tends to be more evenly distributed. Women generally store fat in the hips, butt, and legs, whereas men usually store fat in the upper body. That's why you see a lot of men with big bellies and skinny legs. Furthermore, when both men and women store upper body fat, men are more likely to develop visceral fat, while women are more likely to develop subcutaneous fat.
Visceral Fat vs. Subcutaneous Fat - Visceral fat formed in the abdomen and surrounding the internal organs is the result of high in fat and sugar diets and/or inactivity. Visceral fat is linked to bad cholesterol, diabetes, stroke, and heart disease. Subcutaneous fat is superficial fat found just under the skin which does not pose such serious health risks. Subcutaneous fat is also much easier to lose than visceral fat. The key thing to take away here is women may store more fat, but it tends to be less dangerous than fat stored by men.
Pregnancy – A women's body is constantly preparing itself to nourish a pregnancy. Because of this, women's bodies tend to store more fat even when they are not increasing their caloric intake.
In short, ideal body fat percentage is higher for women because of how they store fat, the type of fat that develops, and their body's tendency to store additional fat.
Remember, when measuring your body fat percentage; do not compare your results to that of the opposite gender. Body fat percentage is definitely a test where you want to remain gender specific!
Visceral Fat vs. Subcutaneous Fat - Visceral fat formed in the abdomen and surrounding the internal organs is the result of high in fat and sugar diets and/or inactivity. Visceral fat is linked to bad cholesterol, diabetes, stroke, and heart disease. Subcutaneous fat is superficial fat found just under the skin which does not pose such serious health risks. Subcutaneous fat is also much easier to lose than visceral fat. The key thing to take away here is women may store more fat, but it tends to be less dangerous than fat stored by men.
Pregnancy – A women's body is constantly preparing itself to nourish a pregnancy. Because of this, women's bodies tend to store more fat even when they are not increasing their caloric intake.
In short, ideal body fat percentage is higher for women because of how they store fat, the type of fat that develops, and their body's tendency to store additional fat.
Remember, when measuring your body fat percentage; do not compare your results to that of the opposite gender. Body fat percentage is definitely a test where you want to remain gender specific!