Why can’t you be healthy with super low body fat %, let’s say 2%? If the body still gets energy through metabolism, I don’t see how there’s a problem.

Question

Why can’t you be healthy with super low body fat %, let’s say 2%? If the body still gets energy through metabolism, I don’t see how there’s a problem.

In: 14

Answer 1

Your body fat doesn’t only serve as a store of energy. Your body fat also produces and regulates hormones.

This is why severely obese men can have lowered testosterone and lowered sperm counts. This is why the bare minimum fat to be healthy is higher than women for men.

Storing energy is indeed one important function of adipose tissue, but not the only.