BODY FAT

BODY FAT CHANGES

Information: body fat issues. Body fat does not remain constant all through life. It changes through different phases of life.

Adolescence

1. During adolescence, significant changes in body composition occur - both body fat and lean body mass.
2. Boys add more lean mass and less body fat than girls during adolescence.
3. Girls put on more body fat than boys during adolescence. This is perfectly normal and healthy. A female should always have a higher percentage of body fat than a male of equal fitness because her amount of essential fat is higher and her reproductive function requires more energy.

Adulthood

1. During adulthood, the healthy ranges of body fat differ for men and women.
2. The body fat ranges for women are significantly higher than for men because of the reproductive function of women. The range of percent body fat increases slightly with age in both men and women.

Pregnancy

1. It is normal and healthy for a woman to gain weight during pregnancy. Usually, a baby accounts for one third of that weight gain.
2. Fat gained during pregnancy is needed to produce milk once the baby is born. The baby also gains fat as pregnancy proceeds, especially in the last three months of the pregnancy.

Lactation

1. During lactation, the body requires even more energy than pregnancy.
2. Even at six months after delivery, body composition may still be different from before pregnancy, especially if the woman is exclusively breast feeding her baby.

Aging

1. Body fat increases with age.
2. Lean body mass decreases because you lose muscle mass.
3. The body's water content decreases.
4. Bone density is reduced, sometimes to unhealthy levels.

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