PERRY BUCHANAN: The skinny on body fat

This is the time of year we start to wage war on our favorite enemy — fat. As every good warrior knows, the first step in defeating your enemy is to know your enemy. Therefore, I will attempt to give you the skinny on body fat. I get many questions daily about losing fat, but I prefer not to be known as the “fat expert.”

We can divide body fat into three categories — “the good, the bad and the ugly.” After the holidays, most of us are probably more concerned about the latter. Body fat has a bad reputation. It disgusts us so much that we mock it with names, usually referring to food. We hate our cottage cheese thighs, muffin tops and beer bellies. Fat is typically something we agonize over, scorn and think of as evil. However, fat plays a vital role in keeping our bodies healthy and functional. It keeps us warm and provides protection for our internal organs. Its two main significant purposes are to store excess calories to mobilize the fat stores when needed for energy, and release hormones that control metabolism.

Fat has different colors. We usually carry too much excess white fat on our waists and other areas from over consumption of food and too little activity. But there’s also brown fat which is more prevalent in newborns because it helps them keep their body temperatures stable. Adults can have small amounts of brown fat also. There is on-going research to determine the roles brown fat plays in keeping us healthy. A recent study of men showed that when they were exposed to cold temperature, the brown fat kept them warm by burning white fat as fuel.

Body fat can further be classified into two categories — essential fat and storage fat. As its name implies, essential fat is necessary for normal healthy functioning. It is stored in small amounts in your bone marrow, organs, central nervous system and muscles. Men usually have an essential fat composition of approximately 3 percent. Women, however, have a higher percentage of essential fat of around 8 percent to 12 percent. This is because essential fat also includes some specific fat critical for normal reproductive function.

In planning an effective fitness program, determining your percent of body fat is important so you can be assured that any weight lost is fat and not lean body weight. Most storage fat is considered to be “expendable.” Storage fat increases when you gain weight and is what you want to lose when you lose weight. Many Americans have too much storage fat, while some have too little.

Healthy ranges vary for men and women depending on their age. Where your excess fat is located is even more important than the amount of body fat you have. Recent studies have shown that if you carry your extra fat around your waist, you are at a higher risk for developing diseases including sleep apnea, heart disease, high blood pressure, gallstones, type 2 diabetes, osteoarthritis, and certain cancers. How big is too big? Women with a waist circumference more than 35 inches and men with a waist circumference more than 40 inches are at increased disease risk.

Subcutaneous fat is found directly under the skin. It’s the fat that’s measured using skin-fold calipers to estimate your total body fat. Subcutaneous fat acts as our insulator and cushion in addition to an energy storage unit. But visceral fat, which is embedded deep within the abdomen, fills in the spaces between our organs and pumps out chemicals that can increase the risk of disease. While men tend to accumulate fat in the belly, it’s no secret women, especially if “pear-shaped,” accumulate it in their thighs and hips.

In terms of overall health, subcutaneous fat in the thighs and hips, for instance, may not be as bad and may have some potential benefits. It may not cause as many health problems as other types of fat, specifically the deeper, visceral fat. If you’re a pear shape, most of your fat is subcutaneous. But if you’re an apple shape, a larger portion of your fat is visceral. Luckily, visceral fat, like subcutaneous fat, can be reduced by losing weight in a healthy way. Exercise, along with a healthy diet, can help control weight and visceral fat.

Perry Buchanan, owner of PT Gym, is certified as a Health Fitness Specialist through the American College of Sports Medicine, and Fitness Nutrition Specialist through the National Academy of Sports Medicine.