What exactly is female body fat percentage, and why is it important when dieting?
Body fat percentage is the proportion of fat in your body. Even if two people weigh the same, a higher body fat percentage means less muscle and more fat. For women, adequate body fat is necessary for proper female hormone secretion and metabolism. If body fat percentage is too low or too high, hormonal balance is disrupted, making weight loss more difficult. In Traditional Korean Medicine, when Spleen Deficiency (biheo) occurs, fat metabolism gets disturbed, and if Dampness-Phlegm (seupdam) accumulates, body fat percentage rises quickly.
Many people wonder about this. Body fat percentage is not just about having more or less fat; in a woman's body, body fat directly participates in hormone metabolism like estrogen. Too little body fat can cause irregular menstruation, while too much leads to insulin resistance and a vicious cycle of easier weight gain. Western medicine explains that fat cells secrete leptin and adiponectin, which regulate appetite and energy expenditure. When body fat percentage is abnormal, this signaling system itself goes awry. In Traditional Korean Medicine, this is understood through Spleen Deficiency (biheo) and Dampness-Phlegm (dam-eum). The spleen is responsible for transforming food into energy and nutrients; when its function declines, fat is not properly processed, and Dampness (seup) and Phlegm (dam) accumulate in the body, manifesting as belly fat or cellulite. High body fat percentage also blocks the circulation of Qi and Blood, making Blood Stasis (eohyeol) more likely, eventually slowing down overall metabolism. In the past, I also believed that simply reducing body fat percentage was the goal and resorted to starvation or excessive exercise. But that made the body go into defense mode, making it even harder to lose weight. So now I believe it is far better to first examine the individual's constitution and spleen function before proceeding.
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