BMI is something many people here in New York and beyond use as a guide to monitor their weight and condition. It’s a great guide to helping a person achieve a healthy standard and to help them remain so.
Today’s study comes from the annals of internal medicine March of 2017. It is a pretty large study on population that looks at 225,000 people over a 12 year period. It noted the people who were considered morbidly obese (people with a BMI of over 35).
BMI looks at your height and weight and how they relate.
Many people argue that more fit people who have a higher BMI due to muscle will often behave clinically high false readings on BMI.
However, for the average population, this showed that people who are considered morbidly obese were found to be two times more likely to die of any cause. They are three times more likely to die of heart disease and 50 percent more likely to die from cancer.
If you don’t know what your BMI is, follow these steps to find out:
If you need assistance with weight management, contact your primary care physician and see if they can refer you to a nutritionist.
Of course excess weight does also affect other issues away from things like heart disease and even diabetes. Excess weight also puts stress on your joints and can help induce back pain and neck pain. It’s something we see quite often in our practice and we do suggest looking at diet, regular exercise and of course speaking with your primary physician as well. Ultimately, being at a healthy BMI level will mean you will lead a happier and healthier existence in general.
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The Body Mass Index (BMI) is one of a series of measures to determine the level of excess fat in the body. Although other measures such as hydrodensitometry (underwater weighing), skinfold measurements (using calipers) and magnetic resonance imaging can provide more accurate determinations of body fat, BMI can be useful in most cases.
How to Calculate Your BMI
Your BMI is simply determined by the ratio of your weight and height. More specifically, BMI is calculated using the following formula:
BMI = weight / (height)2
This formula uses the metric system, with weight in kilograms and height in meters. To calculate your BMI based on height in inches and weight in pounds, multiply the result by 703.
BMI = 703 x weight (lbs.) / (height [in.])2
Interpreting Your BMI
The National Heart Lung and Blood Institute (NHLBI) considers BMI scores for average individuals to be ranked as follows:
| Condition | BMI |
| Underweight | Below 18.5 |
| Normal | 18.5-24.9 |
| Overweight | 25.0-29.9 |
| Obese | 30.0 and above |
It is important to note, however, that BMI scores may fail to properly estimate the level of body fat in certain individuals. Athletes and others with muscular builds, for example, may fall into the overweight category despite having near perfect physiques, while the elderly and those who have lost muscle mass may fall into the underweight category despite having excess body fat.
The other important thing to note is that BMI assessments vary by sex and age. BMI scores for boys are slightly lower than for girls (aged 7-16), and scores for women are slightly lower than for men (aged 18 and up).
Despite these caveats, for most people, the BMI is a simple and useful tool for determining disease risk due to excess fat.
Risk Factors Associated with High BMI
There are a number of risk factors linked to high BMI scores that put individuals at significant risk for diabetes, heart disease, high blood pressure, gall bladder disease and some types of cancer. These include:
How much BMI do I need to loss to see improvements?
It may seem that a significant amount of exercise is needed to lose weight but even a small drop of 5 to 10 percent body weight can help lower the risk for obesity related diseases. As with all exercise programs, take care when getting started. Check with your doctor before you begin and discuss the fitness program you intend to start.
Depending how many additional risk factors you have, your doctor may advise a weight control program rather than a weight loss program. For dangerously high BMI scores, your doctor may advise more drastic measures, which may include surgery. However, for most individuals, a sensible fitness program and healthy diet that is incorporated into daily life and maintained in the long term can significantly lower BMI scores and thus lower the chances for excess fat related disease.
