Why do women require more body fat to be healthy?
Woman have more body fat than men – about five percent more. By nature, a woman’s body is developed to protect her and a potential fetus. As a result, women have more enzymes for storing fat and fewer enzymes for burning fat. Additionally, the estrogen women have activates fat storing enzymes and causes them to multiply. Women experience more changes in hydration levels than men because of their menstrual cycle, and this can affect body fat measuring, particularly using the Bioelectrical Impedance Analysis (BIA) method. Retaining fluid may also cause weight to fluctuate day-to-day during this period causing additional variation in the body fat percentage. Female users of BIA products should be aware of their natural monthly body cycles. To establish a baseline for monitoring body fat, many women find it useful to chart their readings every day for a month. Afterward, monitoring at regular intervals can anticipate monthly fluctuations. Hormonal changes due to pregnancy or menopause may
