In most instances, concerns about being overweight are really concerns about being overfat. There is a difference. Some professional male athletes, for example, weigh much more than the recommended weight standards for persons of similar height.

Yet as little as 1% of their body weight may be fat. Most of the body weight of a well-conditioned athlete is muscle and bone. Female body builders, who are the leanest of all female athletes, have about 8% to 13% of their total body weight as fat. This probably represents the lower limit of fat for a healthy woman.

Body fat is composed of two parts: essential fat - fat necessary for normal physiological functioning, such as nerve condition - and storage fat. Essential fat comprises about 3% to 7% of body weight in men and about 10% to 12% in women. This gender difference, which is presumably caused by hormones, is due to the deposition of greater amounts of fat on the hips, thighs, and breasts in females.

Storage fat, also called depot fat, constitutes only a small percentage of the total body weight of lean individuals and 5% to 25% of the body weight of the majority of the population. However, storage fat can account for 40% to 50% of the body weight of some overweight persons.

Standard for the most "desirable" or "ideal" body weight or body composition (fat percentage) vary. For example, in some cultures, women with significant storage fat are considered physically attractive and sexually desirable, and fatness in children is considered a sign of robust health.

In the United States, attitudes about desirable body configuration fluctuate and are often keyed to fashion trends. During the 1950s, for example, large body size, characterized by "fill-figured" women and "he-men" was considered desirable, whereas today "slim is in."

Source From: Health and Wellness: Edlin, Brown, 2002

© July 2005 by AfroStaff