Body Mass Index (BMI)
Body Mass Index (BMI) is a number measured from
each individual's weight and height. BMI offers a consistent gauge
of body fatness for majority of people and is used to screen for
weight categories, which might lead to health problems. Differences
in BMI among people of the similar age and sex are generally due
to body fat. However there may be some exceptions to this rule
that means a BMI figure might not be really accurate.
BMI Categories:
| Category |
BMI rating |
| Starvation |
less than 15 |
| Underweight |
from 15 to 18.5 |
| Normal |
from 18.5 to 25 |
| Overweight |
from 25 to 30 |
| Obese |
from 30 to 40 |
| Extremely Obese |
greater than 40 |
What your BMI means?
Once you have calculated your BMI, you could decide up on your
healthy weight range.
If you have a BMI of:
• Under 18 – you are very too thin or underweight
and perhaps malnourished.
• Under 20 – you are underweight and can go for some
gain weight.
• 20 to 25 – you have a healthy weight choice for
young and middle-aged adults.
• 26 to 30 – you are actually overweight.
• Over 30 – you are heavy.
BMI calculations would overrate the value
of body fat for:
• Body builders
• High performing athletes
• Pregnant women.
BMI calculations would underrate the amount of
body fat for:
• The elderly
• Physically disabled with muscle wasting
BMI and children
The healthy weight assortment for adults of a BMI from 20 to
25 is not actual well-compatible measure for children.
For adults who have stopped rising, a boost in BMI is generally
caused by a boost in body fat. But as kids grow, their amount
of body fat alters and so would their BMI. For example, BMI frequently
decreases during the preschool years and then rises into adulthood.
For this cause a BMI calculation for a child or a young person
should be compared against age and sex percentile charts.
Some exceptions to the rule
BMI does not distinguish between the body fat and muscle mass.
This simply means that there are some exceptions to the BMI guidelines.
• Muscles – Body builders or athletes and other people
who have a lot of muscle bulk would have a high BMI but are not
overweight.
• Physical disabilities – People with a physical disability
and are not capable to walk might have muscle wasting. Their BMI
might as well be to some extent lower but this does not actually
mean they are underweight. In these cases, it is vital to check
with a dietitian who would offer helpful advice.
• Height – For people who have less height that is
shorter (for example Asian populations), the cut-offs for overweight
and fatness might need to be lower. This is because there is an
augmented danger of diabetes and heart disease that starts at
a BMI as low as 23 in Asian populations.
How overweight/underweight can affect overall health?
The link between being overweight or fat and the chance you would
become sick is not exact. The study is still continuing. However,
when data from huge groups of people are investigated, statistically
there is a higher chance of raising difference types of diseases
if you are overweight. For instance, the risk of death rises somewhat
(by 20–30 per cent) as BMI rises from 25 to 27. As BMI rises
above 27, the danger of death rises more sharply (by 60 per cent).
Risks of being obese and physically disabled:
If you are overweight (BMI over 25) and physically disabled,
you might develop:
• Cardiovascular (heart and blood circulation) disease
• Gall bladder disease
• High blood pressure (hypertension)
• Diabetes
• Osteoarthritis
• Certain other kinds of cancer, such as colon and breast
cancer.
Risks of being underweight
If you are underweight (BMI less than 20), you might be malnourished
and develop:
• Compromised immune function
• Respiratory disease
• Digestive disease
• Cancer
• Osteoporosis
• Increased risk of falls and fractures.
Body fat distribution and health risk
A person’s waist boundary is a good analyst of health danger
than BMI. Having fat around the stomach or a ‘pot belly’,
in spite of of your body size, means you are more probable to
develop sure obesity-associated health conditions. Fat mainly
deposited around the hips and buttocks does not look to have the
same risk. Men, especially, frequently deposit weight in the waist
region.
Researches have also shown that the distribution of body fat
is related with an increased occurrence of diabetes, hypertension,
high cholesterol and cardiovascular disease. Usually, the connection
between health risks and body fat distribution is as follows:
• Least risk – thin (no pot belly)
• Moderate risk – flabby with no pot belly
• Moderate to high risk – thin with pot belly
• High risk – flabby with pot belly.
Waist circumference and health risks
Waist circumference could be used to point out health risk.
For men:
• 94cm or more – augmented risk
• 102cm or more – considerably increased risk.
For women:
• 80cm or more – augmented risk
• 88cm or more – considerably increased risk.
Genetic factors
The propensity to put down fat around the middle is prejudiced
by a person’s genes. However, you could take this genetic
propensity into account and do something about it. Being bodily
active, keeping away from smoking and eating unsaturated fat in
its place of saturated fat have been shown to reduce the risk
of developing abdominal obesity.
Things to remember
• BMI is an estimated gauge of your total body fat.
• Being underweight or overweight could cause with some
health problems, particularly if you are also inactive.
• Your waist perimeter is a superior forecaster of health
risk
