Skinny fat body type

1. What are its characteristics?

The "skinny fat" body type (also known as normal weight obesity) is characterized by a normal body weight, i.e., a BMI below 25 kg/m2, but a high body fat percentage of BF>30%. Women are much more likely to struggle with this than men.

2. How can you recognize it?

To identify a "skinny fat" body type, you need to calculate your BMI and body fat percentage. The best way to do this is to use a body composition analyzer that uses bioimpedance. In addition, the WHR index is a good way to assess body type. It is calculated based on the ratio of waist (cm) to hips (cm), which allows you to distinguish between abdominal obesity (apple type) and gluteal-femoral obesity (pear type).

Characteristics of the skinny fat body type:

- poor physical condition

- slim legs and arms

- accumulated fat in the abdominal area

- accumulated fat in the hip area

3. Health effects

Health risks:

- atherosclerosis

- malnutrition

- higher risk of developing breast cancer

- diabetes

- insulin resistance

- heart disease

The above-mentioned health risks are caused by visceral fat accumulating around internal organs and reduced muscle mass, which is caused by low protein and calorie intake and low physical activity.

4. How to deal with it?

You need to improve your diet and lifestyle. It is necessary to introduce more physical activity into your routine. It is best to combine aerobic training (running, cycling, swimming, rollerblading) with strength training. You should eliminate highly processed foods and fatty foods. However, we cannot eliminate fat 100%. Choose foods that contain unsaturated fats (avocado, canola oil, fish, nuts). Pay special attention to including foods with complete protein in your diet (lean meat, fish, eggs, cottage cheese). According to a study by C.L. Bendal, the Mediterranean diet has a high potential for reducing central obesity, so it is worth trying this diet if you are struggling with a "skinny fat" body type.

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Sources:

1. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/29039967/

https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/31661891/

https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/31339542/

https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/27552473/

https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/23303913/

https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/24438734/

https://dietetycy.org.pl/skinny-fat/

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Prepared by: Justyna Kurasz

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