Biomarkers · Anthropometric

Body Fat Percentage

Both low and high values go with higher risk of death. Not measured in our NHANES panel. The curve is drawn from the published study (source below).

Body Fat Percentage and risk of death

Published curve higher than the NHANES fitNHANES fit higher

Risk of death relative to the curve's reference value, drawn from the published study (source below).

Published risk of death1.11×per 10% increment in body fat percentage (general adult populations, 11 studies) (95% CI 1.02–1.20) · Dose-response meta-analysis of prospective general-population cohorts (35 studies, 923,295 participants overall; BF% estimate from 11 studies)

Body Fat Percentage by age and sex

Each bar runs from the 5th to the 95th percentile, the darker part from the 25th to the 75th, and the tick is the median. Not a reference range or a target.

The percentiles as a table

Each row is one sex and age band: the values below which 5%, 25%, 50%, 75% and 95% of people fall (%), from the survey named in the row. Not a reference range or a target.
Sex	Age	5th	25th	Median	75th	95th	n	Cycle / source
All	20-39	17.4	25.1	30.9	38.2	46.0	1,504	NHANES 2005-2006
All	40-59	21.2	28.1	34.1	41.5	48.6	1,433	NHANES 2005-2006
All	60-69	23.6	30.4	36.9	43.8	50.0	647	NHANES 2005-2006
All	all	19.5	27.1	33.1	40.5	48.1	3,584	NHANES 2005-2006
Men	20-39	16.2	22.0	25.9	30.0	36.7	797	NHANES 2005-2006
Men	40-59	18.6	24.7	28.9	32.4	38.8	712	NHANES 2005-2006
Men	60-69	21.5	26.9	30.4	34.3	39.2	324	NHANES 2005-2006
Men	all	17.3	23.6	27.8	31.9	38.3	1,833	NHANES 2005-2006
Women	20-39	26.1	32.5	38.0	42.5	48.4	707	NHANES 2005-2006
Women	40-59	27.5	35.7	41.1	44.8	50.8	721	NHANES 2005-2006
Women	60-69	31.4	38.5	43.2	46.9	52.2	323	NHANES 2005-2006
Women	all	27.0	34.8	40.1	44.5	50.4	1,751	NHANES 2005-2006

What studies found when this marker was changed

They describe what happened in those study groups, not a recommendation. See all catalogued interventions.

Measured changes in Body Fat Percentage, study by study

8 effects with a numeric size, each from one study arm: the dot is the reported change, the line its 95% interval where one was given. Study results in the groups studied, not predictions for a person.

Each row is one study: what was changed, the effect it reported on this marker, and the source.
Type	Intervention	Reported effect	Evidence	Source
exercise	Each additional 30 minutes per week of supervised aerobic training for at least 8 weeks in adults with overweight or obesity; 150+ min/week at moderate-to-vigorous intensity gives clinically important reductions	Body fat percentage falls by 0.37 percentage points (95% CI 0.31-0.43) for every 30 min/week of aerobic exercise, over trials of 8+ weeks	meta-analysis	Jayedi A, Soltani S, Emadi A, et al. Aerobic Exercise and Weight Loss in…
exercise	High-intensity or sprint interval training programmes (greater effect with >=12 weeks, cycling, low-volume HIIT) in apparently healthy adults	Interval training lowers total body fat percentage by 1.50 points (95% CI 0.58-2.40) vs non-exercise control and by 0.77 points (0.32-1.12) vs moderate-intensity continuous training	meta-analysis	Poon ET, Li HY, Little JP, et al. Efficacy of Interval Training in Improving…
exercise	Resistance-based exercise programme combined with a calorie-restricted diet in individuals with overweight or obesity (any age)	Body fat percentage falls by 3.8 points (95% CI 2.9-4.7) vs no intervention; resistance training alone -1.6 points, combined resistance+aerobic -2.3 points	meta-analysis	Lopez P, Taaffe DR, Galvao DA, et al. Obes Rev. 2022.
exercise	Combined resistance and aerobic training programmes (8 weeks to 8 months) vs no intervention in older adults with sarcopenic obesity	Body fat percentage fell 3.8 percentage points (95% CrI -6.8 to -0.8) with mixed exercise; duration not stated (trials ran 8 weeks to 8 months); 19 RCTs, n=1085	meta-analysis	Wang J, Mao L, Yang Y, et al. BMC Geriatr. 2026;26(1):532.
pharmacologic	After an 8-week low-calorie diet, one year of liraglutide 3.0 mg daily combined with a moderate-to-vigorous exercise programme in adults with obesity (BMI 32-43) without diabetes	Combination lowers body-fat percentage by 3.9 percentage points at 1 year, about twice the decrease of exercise alone or liraglutide alone	RCT	Lundgren JR, Janus C, Jensen SBK, et al. Healthy Weight Loss Maintenance with…
supplement	Creatine (about 7 g or 0.3 g/kg body mass per day) taken alongside a resistance-training programme in adults under 50 years	Reduces body fat percentage by 0.88 points (95% CI 0.11-1.66) and fat mass by 0.73 kg more than resistance training alone, while adding 1.14 kg lean mass	meta-analysis	Desai I, Wewege MA, Jones MD, et al. J Strength Cond Res. 2024.
supplement	Oral probiotic supplementation vs control in overweight and obese adults, mostly East Asian trials	Body fat percentage fell 0.59 percentage points (95% CI -0.96 to -0.21) vs control; duration not stated; 12 RCTs	meta-analysis	Liu S, Ouyang K, Fang X, et al. Front Public Health. 2026;14:1767108.
supplement	Oral Chlorella species supplementation vs control in adults of the general population	Body fat percentage fell 0.73 percentage points (95% CI -1.18 to -0.29) vs control; duration not stated	meta-analysis	Mardani H, et al. Nutr Diabetes. 2026;16(1):44.

Sources

Risk curve: Jayedi 2022 (PMID 35717418): all-cause HR 1.11 (1.02-1.2) per 10% increment in body fat percentage (general adult populations, 11 studies); J-shaped, nadir at BF% 25%. Scaled to US values (NHANES).
Jayedi et al. Body fat and risk of all-cause mortality: a systematic review and dose-response meta-analysis of prospective cohort studies. International journal of obesity (2005). 2022;46:1573-1581.

Map Body Fat Percentage against another biomarker.

Map Body Fat Percentage against another marker