Is my body fat percentage too low?
I'm a 15 and a half male teenager who is 5" 3' and 103 lbs. I've been to a doctor and he told me my body fat percentage is %2.5. I exercise every day( push ups and sit ups) and I don't eat that healthy all the time. Is this percentage of body fat dangerous for my health?
Public Comments
- thats pretty low! What does your doctor say? I think you need to have at least 10% bf
- yea anything lower then 3% is too low. After that you start getting sick b/c your body needs fat.
- I recall in health we learned that men can survive with body fats of as low as 2%. For women it's more like, 11%, but that's near anorexia. The lowest tested has been 1% and 6%, respectively. Male athletes fall between 3%-12%. You should be fine.
- Holy....it's times like this I wish I was a guy.
- yes, that's not good. i can't believe i'm saying this, but eat more and exercise less!
- Your body fat percentage actually depends on your ethnic background. Some races can have more/less fat than the average American and still be very healthy for their race. If your doctor didn't say there was anything wrong with your low body fat % then you are fine.
- Yes, that is very low. For males, essential body fat is 3%-5% of total body weight. This is the minimum body fat percentage your body needs to function properly.
