Is under 10% body fat really unhealthy?

FitnessTim

I'm currently at 14-15% body fat. I feel better than ever and have plenty of energy. I've read that 18-20% is considered healthy for men and anything lower "may" be unhealthy. Does any know of any scientific medical studies to back these vague claims?

There are male athletes who maintain under 10% body fat that are living healthy lives with no ill effects. With the exception of extreme bodybuilders I've not heard of one case where someone got serious sick from having low body fat.

Is there any science behind these numbers (18-20%) or are they just scare tactics to prevent people from going overboard?

YeaILift

Athletes tend to be <10% body fat, but they still weigh 175pds+ from muscle. That is a huge difference from being 140 and 10% body fat.

lordofultima

I'm shooting for 6%, and I'm by no means an athlete. I know I don't have the muscle mass, but that comes from years of hard training. I'm already in my 150's, and not even at 10% yet. It's pretty healthy as far as I know, it's just if you have no muscle mass to back it up, you tend to just look really scrawny. Bruce Lee was 130 lbs, absolutely shredded out of his mind though.

eillamarie

I know of male athletes who are around only 4% body fat, and are considered very healthy. Every body is different. If you feel that good now...well, don't fix it if it aint broken!

JaydeSkye

I did some research on professional boxers, because of all the athletes, boxers tend to be the most elite when it comes to nutrition and fitness, and the average boxer is between 5%-10% body fat, usually in the lower part of the range. For example, Mike Tyson was at 5% body fat in his peak. I suggest that if you're curious, you research some of the nutrition plans and fitness routines of professional boxers and go that route. I wouldn't categorize all athletes into one group, because there are PLENTY of out of shape pro atheletes, just put on an NFL game or UFC fight.

msbanana

For men under forty it's actually between 8-19% (from the World Health Org). And yeah there is science behind it. You need a little body fat as a back up store incase you have a drop in blood sugar (going for more than 4-6 hours w/o food) & for insulation. It's more crucial for women (and a healthy % for women is more in the range you quoted) because we need it so our reproductive organs continue to function properly. I think it's also more of a concern if you're losing the fat and NOT building muscle as well (i.e. eating disorders etc...)

Hope that helps :drinker:

FitnessTim

Found this on the web:

The American Council on Exercise and says men’s body fat should be 6-25%, and women’s should be 14-31% while the American Dietetic Association recommends that men have 15-18% body fat and women have 20-25% body fat.

Two different organizations giving two different suggestions. I guess the American Council on Exercise is basing their numbers of what is commonly seen with people who exercise regularly.

I know the American Dietetic Association has to be just playing it safe because some (if not most) healthy active men maintain under 15% without even trying.

So I guess I could probably shoot for under 10% with little worry, but under 6% and I'd be taking a risk.

As for muscle mass, I'm no bodybuilder but at 170 I'm no toothpick either. I do try to increase my muscle mass as much as possible which involves periods where I put on the feed bag and eat many more calories than usual. I guess I'll end up looking more like Jason Statham than the Governator but I can live with that.

arsenal45

I'm 40 years old, 5'7", 144 lbs, and 8% body fat by caliper measurement. I feel better than I ever have in my lift and can lift and run more than ever.

TheMaidOfAstolat

I think 10% is fine....it all depends on your body type and how you carry fat.
Being female and having 18% on me looks really good....while on others they would look sickly. I'm actually shooting for 16%.