Once the vanity factor is removed, it's easier to see weight as the health issue it really is. Body mass index is a screening tool that produces a numerical estimate of an individual's body fat. Ease of calculation and user-friendly definitions simplify the process of assessing if you are underweight, normal weight, overweight or obese.
Features
Body mass index in adults is dependent only on height and weight. Sex and age are not components in BMI classification after age 20. To obtain your BMI, take your weight in pounds and divide it by your height in inches squared, then multiply it by 703. Locate BMI calculators online if you aren't a fan of mathematical formulas. The resulting number determines the likelihood of developing weight-related diseases. Higher numbers indicate increased risk.
Significance
Health agencies, such as the World Health Organization and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, provide four categories of BMI. People with a BMI below 18.5 are underweight. Those with results of 18.50 to 24.99 have a healthy BMI. People with BMI results over 25 are overweight and those with results over 30 are obese. The category of obesity is divided into classes, depending on severity. A BMI over 30 is class one, over 35 is class two and over 40 is class three.
Benefits
The effects of maintaining a BMI within the healthy range extend beyond appearance, increased energy and improved overall well-being. Your chance of developing vascular diseases, such as coronary heart disease and stroke, are lower if you have a BMI in the recommended range. Chances of joint degeneration and arthritis are diminished, as well. People with a healthy BMI have lower rates of liver disease, gallbladder disease, infertility, sleep apnea and some cancers.
Considerations
The correlation between your BMI and the amount of body fat that you have is strong, but gender, age and ethic differences can affect accuracy. For instance, women tend to carry more body fat than men. Older people often have less muscle mass and more body fat than younger people. Also, according to the World Health Organization, a portion of the Asian population may experience an increased rate of obesity-related complications even with a BMI that is not considered to be overweight by international standards.
Misconceptions
BMI may be a convenient screening method, but it is not a diagnostic tool, and the potential for inaccuracy exists. Individual differences in muscle mass can alter results. Athletes with above-average amounts of muscle mass may have a BMI that indicates obesity when this is not the case. An elderly person with minimal muscle and a high percentage of body fat may have a normal BMI. More accurate methods of assessing body fat, like skinfold thickness measurements or underwater weighing, are available if they are needed. However, they are more time consuming and expensive than BMI.
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