Q: I had a body fat measurement done by a company trying to sell me a handheld device. It showed my body fat percentage is 18%. I am a man in my mid 60s. Is that a good number? Aren’t there other ways to estimate body fat without spending money?
A: There is no ideal percent of body fat, just as there is no ideal body weight. According to the World Health Organization, men ages 40 to 59 should aim for 11% to 21% body fat, while for men ages 60 to 79, the range is 13% to 24%. For women, the American Council on Exercise suggests 25% to 31%.
However, the “right†weight and fat percent for an individual depend upon multiple factors, such as the following:
General health: A very low percentage of body fat and low body weight in someone not exercising regularly can indicate a medical problem.
People are also reading…
Distribution of body fat: Even if your weight is close to the normal range, a large waist size may mean you have an unhealthy amount of belly fat (visceral fat). Higher amounts of belly fat increase the risk of diabetes and heart disease.
Metabolism: How an individual’s body handles excess calories significantly affects whether those calories get deposited in fat or turn into energy used for physical activity and body heat.
Amount, type and intensity of physical activity: You not only burn calories during exercise but also continue to burn calories afterward as muscles replenish their energy stores. Also, doing regular strength training can add a bit of muscle weight that is healthy.
Measuring yourself
Rather than spending money on a device to measure fat percentage, you can use one or both of the following measurements to offer a window into whether you are carrying too much dangerous visceral fat.
Waist size: Generally, men should have a waist size of no more than 40 inches and women no more than 35 inches. But those are not necessarily healthy waist sizes. For adults of average height, I like to use a goal ratio of waist size to height: Waist size should be less than one-half of your height.
Ratio of waist size to hip size: Use a measuring tape to find your waist size just above your belly button. Then, measure the size of your hips around the widest part of your buttocks. Divide the waist size by the hip size. A good waist-to-hip ratio for men is no more than 0.95 and no more than 0.85 for women.
Dr. Howard LeWine is an internist at Brigham and Women’s Hospital in Boston and assistant professor at Harvard Medical School. For additional consumer health information, please visit www.health.harvard.edu.
