Rule with lake’ e ine8 hewiy"Te nsaww na b The Different Types of Body Fat (NAPSA)—Bodyfat weall have it, but how much is too much? While a certain amount of body fat is essential to good health, too much can be dangerous. Significant research links too much body fat to health risks and the development of certain diseases. It is important to know the facts about body fat and understand the risks to your health andfitness. “Maintaining an appropriate amount of body fat is critical to overall health,” said Dr. Steven B. Heymsfield, deputy director of the Obesity Research Center at St. Luke’s-Roosevelt Hospital Center in New York. “Body fat is impor- tant to understand and monitor because it gives a better measure of fitness, health risks, weight classification and the effectivenessof a nutrition program.” However, for many individuals, maintaining a healthy balance of body fat can be challenging and confusing. This is due, in part, to the abundance of myths about body fat. Myth 1: No Fat Is Good Fat Everyone needs some bodyfat to maintain good health. Conversely, too much body fat can be dangerous. Research indicates that too much body fat, not necessarily excess weight, can shorten humanlongevity. Myth 2: Everyone Needs The Same Amount Of Fat Manyindividuals are confused about what body fat ranges are healthy for their age and gender. Women should have more bodyfat than menof similar age. For example, the healthy range for women ages 18 to 39 is between 21 percent and 33 percent, whereas the healthy range for men of the sameageis between 8 percent and 19 percent. For the average adult, the healthy range of bodyfat is shown below: Age Female Male 18-39 40-59 60-79 21-33% 23-35% 24-36% 8-19% 11-22% 13-25%@ This difference is the result of hormonaldifferences between the two sexes. The higher body fat content of womenis both normal and healthy, and women should not strive to achieveor be held to the same body fat standards as men. Myth 3: Fat Is Fat There are several different types of body fat, and each has different risk factors. For exam- ple, visceral fat, or fat stored in the abdomen area can be more dangerous than peripheral fat, which is stored in surrounding areasof the body like the hips and buttocks. Break Free From Fat Confusion Unlike weight, body fat is not always visible and can’t be determined using an ordinary bathroom scale. Individuals can monitor their health and body fat easily and effectively through home-use scale plus body fat monitors, first developed by Tanita Corporation. Homeuse body fat monitor/scales enable individuals to see their bodies better by monitoring their body fat andweight, while tracking changes over time. Tanita’s models start at less than $50, making body fat monitoring affordable for a majority of consumers. The newest models have innovative features that compare bodyfat percentage to the healthy range, estimate the num- ber of calories necessary to maintain current weight and graph multiple users’ progress over time. For more information on Tanita’s product line or to find a local retailer, consumers maycall 1-8009-TANITAorvisit www.tanita.com. Understanding Body Fat: A Glossary Of Important Terms Body fat—tunctions as insulation, protection and energy reserve. When the percentageis foo high, fat increases a person's risk ofcertain diseases and can interfere with the immunesystem, prevent heat loss, stress, cause sleep problems and affect self-esteem. Visceral fat—fatstored in the abdomen area. Peripheral fat—fatfound in surrounding parts of the body such as the hips and buttocks. Storage body fat—importantin small quantities, but dangerousin larger amounts. Essential fat—tatnecessary to healthy body. Percentage body fat—the percentage of total body weight thatis fat. Fat Free Mass—muscle, bone,tissue, water andall otherfat free massin the body. Individuals can monitor their health and bodyfat easily and effectively through Tanita’s home-use scale plus body fat monitors. For more information, consumers maycall 1-800-9-TANITA or visit www.tanita.com. @
