Average body fat percentages for men and women are quite different due to physiological differences. For instance women require more body fat for child birthing and normal hormonal functions.

A lot of people believe that body fat percentage is the best way to measure your overall fitness levels. Everyone has different ideal body fat percentages, depending on a number of different factors. Average body fat percentages for men also differ greatly from culture to culture, and this article is geared toward men from North America.

Here are the average body fat percentages for men, based on age:

Up to 30 Years Old – 9-15%
30-50 Years Old – 11-17%
50+ Years – 12-19%

Do you fit into the average percentile for your age? If not, you should know that there are health risks associated with being significantly overweight. On the flip side of the coin, it should be mentioned that it is very possible to measure to low, and that comes with risks as well.

A body fat percentage that is to low is dangerous for the following reasons:

For the body to function normally, a certain level of body fat percentages are required. This is called Essential Fat. When body fat percentages drop to low it really screws up you essential fat percentage, and that is not good for you health.

The best be is to aim to say within recommended ranges so you can avoid the inherent health issues that will arise when you fall to low or go to high. The more common problem is obviously going above recommended percentages.

It is highly recommended for all people, not only athletes to monitor things like body fat percentage closely. There are certain health issues that can arise from percentages that are to high or to low. One of the best products on the market today for doing so is an Omron Body Fat Analyzer.

These scales monitor 7 health indicators and can help you achieve and maintain the recommended percentages. You can buy one from Amazon.com from $63.99.