Your total amount of body fat is made up of 2 basic kinds: essential fat and storage fat. Essential fat is necessary for the proper functioning of the immune and hormonal systems. However, it is not the minimum amount of fat that is recommended for good health. You also need storage fat which occurs in adipose tissue.
This extra fat has important roles such as cushioning internal organs, storing fat-soluble vitamins and controlling body temperature. It also stores energy to be used by the body when food isn’t available. However, if the amount of stored fat in your body is too high, it puts you at risk for a variety of diseases.
Body Fat Percentage
According to the American Council on Exercise (ACE), the amount of essential body fat required by women is 10-12%, compared with 2-4% for men. Body fat is necessary in reproduction, which is why women carry 3-6 times as much essential fat as men. In fact, women who have too little body fat (athletes and anorexics, for example) may actually stop menstruating.