What is a Healthy Body Fat Percentage?
While researching this subject I found a lot of different recommendations for body fat percentages. This appears to be the most authoritative, as it is based on World Health Organization and National Institutes of Health recommendations, and takes age into account. Please do not confuse these numbers with the BMI (Body Mass Index) scores, which are not the same thing.
Age-Adjusted Body Fat Percentage Recommendations:
Women:
|
Age |
Underfat |
Healthy Range |
Overweight |
Obese |
|
20-40 years |
Under 21% |
21-33% |
33-39% |
Over 39% |
|
41-60 years |
Under 23% |
23-35% |
35-40% |
Over 40% |
|
61-79 years |
Under 24% |
24-36% |
36-42% |
Over 42% |
Men:
|
Age |
Underfat |
Healthy Range |
Overweight |
Obese |
|
20-40 yrs
|
Under 8% |
8-19% |
19-25% |
Over 25% |
|
41-60 yrs
|
Under 23% |
23-35% |
35-40% |
Over 40% |
|
61-79 yrs
|
Under 24% |
24-36% |
36-42% |
Over 42% |
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