YOUR
BODY MASS INDEX AND WHAT IT SAYS ABOUT YOUR HEALTH
Most
medical personnel will tell you that being overweight is unhealthy.
A long list of ailments await those who are overweight or obese.
These include increased risks of high blood pressure, heart disease,
stroke, and diabetes just to name a few. Yes,
even as a young adult you are at risk for these.
Have
you ever stopped to think however, that the definition of overweight
means different things to different people?
For instance, a 5 foot 4 inch tall woman can be considered overweight
at 160 pounds while a 6 foot 2 inch man is on the thin side
at 160 pounds. How do you know what's the ideal weight for you?
One way is to put everything on the same scale by adjusting
for height. This can be done using the Body Mass Index (BMI)
calculation.
The
BMI is used by doctors to assess patients that are overweight
or obese. It does a very good job of describing relative weight
for any given height and measures your overall total body fat
content. It does not however, differentiate between people with
too much fat and athletic, muscular body type people. Thus, you
should really use BMI in conjunction with other body composition
assessments.
The BMI is a more accurate measure of body fat than a height-weight
table, but it does have some drawbacks. It actually overestimates
body fat in people who are very muscular, such as body builders,
or those who have lost a lot of muscle mass, such as the elderly
or ill. High BMIs in pregnant or breastfeeding women, or people
under 5 feet may also not reflect 'fatness'.
Body
Mass Index Calculator
If
you scored in the 'normal' range, that's great! If you scored
over 25 or 30, read Healthy Dieting
and speak to your health care provider, he or she is better to
evaluate if you are indeed over underweight. Also, check out the
Food Table Chart for nutrition
guidelines, which are suited for everyone.
Here are some other useful links...
The BMI is a more accurate measure of body fat than a height-weight
table, but it does have some drawbacks. It actually overestimates
body fat in people who are very muscular, such as body builders,
or those who have lost a lot of muscle mass, such as the elderly
or ill. High BMIs in pregnant or breastfeeding women, or people
under 5 feet may also not reflect 'fatness'.
To Fitness and Nutriton