It is useful for anyone trying to live healthily to know how body fat is structured. While body fat is usually looked at as something bad, it’s not always a problem. Our body depends on healthy levels of fat to function normally. Our bodies contain two main kinds of fat: essential body fat and storage body fat. They all help keep us healthy and ensure we keep living. The confusion between these terms leads to many people misunderstanding weight loss, how their body is made and what they need to stay healthy. This article will explain the difference between these two types of fat and tell you why they are important to understand.
Key Points:
- Having some essential fat is vital for being able to live.
- Our bodies use fat stored in our bodies as energy.
- The different types of sugar impact your health differently.
What Do We Mean by Essential Body Fat?
The body needs at least a certain amount of essential body fat for good and healthy functioning. You can find fat in the heart, lungs, liver, kidneys, intestines, muscles and tissues of the brain and spine. You also find it in the marrow of bones and near organs to protect them. Basic body fat plays a part in how hormones and temperature are controlled and it is necessary for proper bodily functions.
Women’s bodies rely on essential fat for their reproductive health. That’s why women often carry more essential body fat than men. To maintain good health, men usually need less than women, with 2-5% in essential fat, while women should aim for 10-13%.
For example, a person can be extremely lean even though their body fat offers enough protection and support for their healthy functions. That’s what good fat does for the body. If you didn’t have it, you could suffer from hormonal imbalances, lose immunity and experience some organs failing.
In table 1, we can see the recommended amounts of essential body fat needed for normal body function.
| Gender | Essential Body Fat % |
|---|---|
| Men | 2% – 5% |
| Women | 10% – 13% |
Essential fat is something your body requires. It is necessary for life to exist.
What Do We Mean by Storage Body Fat?
Storage body fat is the type of fat found in your body’s fat tissues. If we eat less than we burn, energy from this fat is used by our body. Essential fat helps keep us alive, but storage fat is just a bonus that has many benefits. It includes both subcutaneous fat and visceral fat.
Usually, you can notice subcutaneous fat by pinching it on your stomach or your thighs. Unlike subcutaneous fat, visceral fat rings the liver and intestines with fatty tissue. While some visceral fat is fine, too much can increase your chances of getting heart disease, type 2 diabetes and high blood pressure.
Excess calories in your diet are normally stored as body fat. When dieting or exercising, your body gets energy from the fat stored in your body.
Table 2 lists the differences between essential and storage fat.
| Feature | Essential Fat | Storage Fat |
| Location | Organs, bone marrow | Under skin, around organs |
| Function | Vital bodily functions | Energy reserve |
| Required for Survival | Yes | No |
| Health Impact | Supports health | Can cause health problems if excess |
Most of the time, people who talk about losing weight want to reduce their storage fat.
What Health Effects Can Different Types of Fats Have?
Health is affected differently by essential and storage fat. Although essential fat is healthy, not getting enough can result in big problems. In some cases, people with very low body fat such as athletes, might have hormone or immune system problems, as well as frequent tiredness. It’s because the body doesn’t have enough fat for necessary body functions.
Conversely, carrying excess storage fat, mostly the kind near your stomach, increases the risk of chronic illnesses. This kind of fat is dangerous since it holds around main organs and prevents them from doing their job properly. It makes it more likely to develop heart problems, insulin resistance and inflammation.
A person who has a very low body fat percentage could experience missed periods (by women) or reduced amounts of testosterone (by men). Meanwhile, carrying extra storage fat around can lead to problems such as sleep apnea or aching joints.
Trying to keep healthy body fat in proportion and keeping storage fat to a minimum is the main goal.
How Can We Quantify Fat in the Body?
You can check your body fat by using things like body fat calipers, bioelectrical impedance analysis or DEXA scans. Unfortunately, these approaches can’t always tell us the difference between storage fat and essential fat. Therefore, they report an estimate of total body fat percentage and from that experts can estimate the levels of each type.
You can keep track by learning the healthy fat ranges for your body type and sex. Ordinarily, a body fat percentage of 15% for men or 25% for women is a sign of good storage and body balances.
If a man has 10% body fat, nearly all of it is storage fat, with only about 2-5% being essential. Much the same, a woman with 30% body fat needs 10-13% essential fat and the rest is kept as backup.
Paying attention to where your extra fat is stored is very important too. When people have extra weight around their middles, they probably have a serious type of fat called visceral fat that is more dangerous than fat in the hips or thighs.
What Should You Do to Manage Your Body Fat?
Controlling your body fat depends on diet as well as exercise. You need to eat fewer calories than you use to cut down on storage fat. You can achieve this by eating right and staying physically active. Training with weights builds muscle which can speed up your metabolism and help you lose fat.
There is no way to control essential fat, but you should not let your levels fall too low. That is the reason why excessively dieting or working out can be unsafe. You should try to keep your fitness activities in balance.
For example, exercising on a balanced plan that includes cardio, strength and healthy nutrition is a good way to handle extra body fat while supporting healthy essential fat deposits. Stay away from diets that suggest you can lose a lot of weight very quickly.
Keep in mind: Living sustainably with easy habits is better than making sudden drastic changes. Prefer to take care of your health over the years and not just for a short time.
Conclusion
Knowing the difference between essential and storage body fat helps you improve your health. Essential fat is necessary for your body and storage fat is kept to provide you with extra energy. Neither having too much storage fat nor too little essential fat is good for your health.
A healthy diet is as much about being aware of your body as it is about losing any extra weight. Keeping your body fat level healthy involves having balance, knowledge and consistency. Use the tips to help choose healthy goals and sustain them for your fitness. Grasping how these fats help can guide you in choosing the best goals for your overall health.
FAQ’s
1. Are Essential Body Fats and Storage Body Fats the Same?
You need essential fat for your body to function properly and storage fat is additional fat stored for energy.
2. Can a Diet Contain Too Little Essential Fat for Your Good Health?
Yes, if you don’t eat enough, your vital functions and hormones can be damaged.
3. Can Eating All Storage Fat Damage Your Health?
Too much—especially visceral—fat increases the chance of health issues.
4. How Do I Find Out If I Have High Visceral Fat?
A big waist or body scans using DEXA can show that you have more visceral fat.
5. What Should I Do To Keep My Body Fat Healthy?
Eat meals that contain a mix of healthful ingredients, be physically active and never try risky ways to lose weight.
