Why do women have more fat than men? Uncover the secrets you don’t want to face…

Women often complain: "Why do I have more fat than men?" The content and data I am going to talk about next may make many women angry. Studies show that women have more fat than men from birth or even when they are still embryos. Also, during puberty, girls gain about 1 kilogram of fat each year, which is 5 times that of men! Even if a woman does not eat much during pregnancy, her total body fat will still increase by about 2 to 6 kilograms! Obviously, women and fat are destined to be inseparable forever.

Men eat more but don’t get fat? The answer is…

Why do men eat more but don’t get fat? In fact, men and women consume roughly the same amount of fat, accounting for about one-third of the total calories in their diet. For the same BMI value, men consume more calories than women. However, the digestive systems of men and women differ, largely due to genes, hormones, and the biochemical mechanisms that convert food into fat.

The National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) led by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in the United States surveyed nearly 16,000 subjects and pointed out that women, regardless of race (including Caucasians, Mexican Americans or African Americans), are more efficient in storing fat than men, but men's overall calorie intake is 51% higher than that of women. A reasonable explanation may be that men's average non-fat composition is 33% higher than that of women, and their greater muscle and bone mass require more calories. Therefore, men can eat more without gaining weight.

Girls have more fat than boys even as early as birth or when they are still embryos

Sylvia, a PhD in biochemistry from the United States and former McKinsey medical consultant. Tara, in her new book, The Secret Life of Fat, analyzes the following secrets about women and fat. The difference in fat between men and women can be seen at birth! According to several scholars from the University of Zaragoza in Spain, they collected fat data from more than 4,500 newborns and compared their subcutaneous fat, height and weight. They found that in all cases, girls' subcutaneous fat layer was thicker than boys'. Regardless of the baby's length, age or weight, the amount of fat is mainly determined by gender. They conducted similar surveys in Ireland, France, Belgium and the United States, and all came to the same conclusion, indicating that women have more fat than men as early as birth or even when they are still embryos.

During puberty, girls gain about 1 kg of fat each year.

With the onset of puberty, girls' subcutaneous fat will increase significantly. By the age of 17, the difference in body fat between the two ranges from 44 to 93 percent. During puberty, girls gain about 1 kg of fat each year. Although boys are heavier on average because they have more muscles and bones, their fat gain each year is only 0.2 kg, which is only one-fifth of that of girls.

Pregnant women gain about 2 to 6 kg of body fat

If a woman does not have enough body fat, she will not be able to have her period or conceive. When a woman is pregnant, her body continues to accumulate fat. Even if your calorie intake remains the same, you will still gain weight, and sometimes you will still gain weight even if you eat less. During this period, even if pregnant women do not eat much, their total body fat will still increase by about 2 to 6 kilograms. Since the total calories consumed during pregnancy increase, this phenomenon is not related to a slowdown in metabolism, and it can be inferred that part of the factor should be related to intestinal bacteria.

No matter how much fat a pregnant woman accumulates, some of it will be converted into breast milk. In fact, many mothers are able to lose weight quickly after giving birth because of breastfeeding, and the mechanism by which the female body uses fat to produce breast milk also highlights the necessity of female fat in human survival.

The end of menstruation is also a sensitive time to accumulate fat

In addition, it is worth noting that women have a particularly good appetite when their menstruation is about to end, and this is also a sensitive time for fat accumulation. Once menstruation begins, a woman's body fat mass will fluctuate between each menstrual cycle, with estrogen dropping slightly and progesterone rising, causing changes in appetite and fat mass. In the second half of the menstrual cycle (luteal phase), that is, from ovulation to the next menstrual period, estrogen secretion will decrease, causing women to particularly crave high-fat and high-sugar foods.

In addition to the increased appetite, the increase in progesterone at the same time will reduce blood triglycerides and store them in adipose tissue, thereby accumulating fat. This effect is believed to signal to the body that the blood is lacking in fat, which in turn triggers a craving for greasy food. From craving food to the subsequent formation of fat, it is difficult for people to lose weight in the long run. Therefore, if you want to diet and lose weight, it is best to wait until this period is over, which is more effective.