The Body Mass Index, or BMI, is used to assess body fat based on height and weight for adult men and women. It is a reliable indicator for total body fat, which relates directly to disease and death. Charts indicate the BMI in a ratio of weight to height. A healthy BMI is 18.5 to 24.9.
Limitations
The way the BMI is measured can lead to over- or underestimation of body fat numbers. Athletes with a muscular built may be given an overestimate of body fat due to the fact that muscle is heavier than fat, making a shorter person heavier than the BMI accounts for. Older people who have lost muscle mass may have their body fat underestimated.
Guidelines
In order to get a better picture of the overall health based on weight, it helps to find out the BMI in combination with the circumference of the waist, and an assessment of other risk factors and conditions associated with obesity. By measuring the waist circumference, which measures abdominal fat, the body fat overestimation of an athlete can be overruled.
Calculations
Determining the body mass index is easiest with a chart, which provides additional information about the individual's weight in relation to other people of a similar height. In lieu of this, body mass can be determined by dividing weight in kilograms by height in meters squared.
Example: 84kgs ÷ 1.84m²= 24.8 BMI. This BMI is within the ideal BMI range.
Ranges
A BMI under 18.5 is underweight for height. Steps to gain weight through regular meals and exercise need to be taken. Men should have up to 20 percent body fat, women up to 30 percent. BMI measures from 25 to 29.9 are too much weight for height. Obesity starts at a BMI between 30 and 39.9. Above 39.9 is very obese.
Considerations
To get the most accurate results with BMI measuring, it can be combined with a waist measurement. This helps to determine the amount of fat around the waist. A healthy waist measurement for a man is less than 90cm, for a woman it is less than 80 cm. Men are at moderate risk for weight-related health issues with a waist circumference of 90 to 102 cm, women 80 to 87 cm. There is a high risk of developing type 2 Diabetes or Insulin Resistance Syndrome for men with a waist size above 102cm and for women above 87cm.
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