 Facts on Fat
Body composition can have a direct impact on your health, athletic performance, and even your life expectancy. The National Institute of Health (NIB) states, "Evidence is now overwhelming that obesity, the excessive storage of fat, has adverse effects on health and longevity." Obesity is clearly associated with heart disease, strokes, hypertension, hyperlesterolemia, diabetes, certain forms of cancers and other medical problems. Aside from obvious health considerations, body composition can also have a direct impact on athletic performance. Studies have shown that world class marathon runners must strive to achieve an optimum level of body fat to be successful in their sport.
Body fat content must be low enough to achieve peak athletic performance yet high enough to reduce risk of injury.
A minimum amount of body fat is necessary to cushion and protect body organs from injury. These adipose tissues serve the important function of storing and releasing energy (fat) in response to metabolic demands. If your body's energy intake from eating exceeds your normal energy use for daily activities including exercise, the excess energy is stored as body fat. Storage of excess body fat enlarges cell size and can increase the number of fat cells in the body. The safest method of reducing these fat reserves is through proper nutrition and regular exercise.
Lean Body Mass
All parts of the body exclusive of body fat - bones, organs, muscle, connective tissue and fluid - constitute the Lean Body Mass. The higher the percentage of LBM, the more muscular the body with a high bone density. A more muscular body is normally considered attractive and improves athletic performance, while higher bone density can serve as protection against osteoporosis - especially in women.
Estimated Body Water
As the underlying element in all body fluids, water serves as the primary medium of transport for the body's complex biological exchanges. For this reason, great care must be taken during slimming and exercise programs to avoid having the body become dehydrated. Ideally women should have approximately 55 to 60 percent total body water content and men should have between 60 to 65 percent total body water.
Importance of Body Fat
Scientific literature shows that a higher percentage of body fat significantly increases the risk of coronary heart disease, strokes, diabetes. Research also shows that the location of body fat is a contributing factor to greater health risks in adults. For example, excessive fat in the abdomen (stomach area) represents a greater health risk than excess fat in the thighs. Both moderate exercise and 'educed fat intake can help reduce the fat and decrease the risk of these diseases.
The Importance of Weight
Many people tend to be overweight and others gain weight as they grow older. In these cases, weight gain is linked to high blood pressure, heart disease, stroke, diabetes, certain types of cancer, arthritis, breathing problems, and other illnesses. A reduction in weight, and body fat, helps reduce risks associated with obesity. Scientific studies also provide ample evidence that when weight is outside of the recommended range, life expectancy is decreased.
The Bodys Use of Food Energy
Your body receives energy from the food that is eaten. This energy is used for three basic functions:
(1) To supply the basic energy required when the body is totally at rest but not sleeping: e.g. for pumping blood, breathing, keeping the body temperature constant and other functions such as thinking
(2) To perform all the physical activities that occur during the day including working, exercising, talking and
(3) to digest food. When these tasks require less energy than the amount taken in through food consumption, the excess energy is stored as body fat. If expended energy is greater than the amount of food eaten, excess body fat is burned to supply the necessary energy. If the body does not have sufficiently stored body fat, valuable muscle mass is consumed.
Nutrition and Exercise
One known factor in any weight loss plan is that each person's body reacts differently to changes in diet or exercise. In one well controlled diet study that did not involve any exercise, participants total weight loss varied from as little as 19 percent to as high as 32 percent of body fat with the remainder of the loss being Lean Body Mass. In a parallel study that increased exercise without any diet change, participants lost more weight in body fat than the total weight loss, resulting in a substantial increase in Lean Body Mass. These types of studies indicate that an increase in exercise is a necessary element of any successful long-term weight-loss program.
Sweet Revenge - some thin people really are fat
Here's some good news that might make your day: some skinny people are actually fat. It may sound ridiculous but researches in the United states have found that slim women who skimp on protein and exercise lose muscle not fat. It's taken researches years to detect the condition, known as sarcopenic obesity, because of the lack of accuracy in using the common Body Mass Index (BMI) method. A more accurate technique was used, which can detect up to 12kgs more fat. The result? Women who didn't exercise had a low mean (muscle) mass and an excess of fat for their height and weight.
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