Body water
− If you lose 5 % of your body water, your physical enegy may
decline by 20 to 30 %. You should therefore drink at least
70.4 fl oz of water every day.
− Athletes generally have a higher percentage of body water.
− The percentage of body water decreases with age.
The adult human body is made up of approx. 60 % water.
If the percentage of body fat increases, the percentage of body water decreases.
This is because body water is stored outside the fat cells of the body and fatty
tissue generally has a very low percentage of water.
Children
Adults
Athletes
Body fat
− Consult a physician if your body fat is too high or too low.
A high or very high body fat percentage increases the risk of
illnesses like diabetes, heart disease and high blood pressure.
A low body fat percentage increases the risk of metabolic disorders.
The subcutaneous fatty tissue and the body create fat stores to
protect internal organs and safeguard metabolic functions.
− The body fat percentage increases with age.
− If you would like to reduce your weight, you must build more
muscle at the same time. We need muscles in order to burn excess
energy or fat stores.
Women
Age
Low body fat
(years)
percentage
(%)
6 to 12
< 7
13 to 19
< 20
20 to 39
< 21
40 to 59 < 23
60 to 79 < 25
Athlete
Women (%)
> 58
> 52
> 56
Normal body
fat percentage
(%)
7 to 19
20 to 31
21 to 32
23 to 34
25 to 36
12 to 25
Men (%)
> 60
> 58
> 60
Elevated body
fat percentage
(%)
19 to 25
31 to 37
32 to 38
34 to 40
36 to 42
Operation
Excessively
elevated body fat
percentage (%)
> 25
> 37
> 38
> 40
> 42
15