Are you overweight or obese? Calculate your BMI and understand your risk

#FitIndiaHitIndia: Body Mass Index (BMI) is a useful tool that offers a quick estimation of your health. It helps you to keep track of your overall wellbeing by classifying into certain categories.

Calculate your BMI: As people continue to worry about obesity and other lifestyle-related illnesses keeping track of your body weight has never been more valuable than ever. Therefore, scientists designed one of the easiest and most popular tools called Body Mass Index (BMI) to measure your health status. According to experts, BMI provides a fast observation of whether your weight is within a healthy range depending on your height. Despite not being a diagnostic tool it can be used as a significant initial step to discover potential health hazards and take timely action.

What is BMI?

BMI is a numerical value calculated using your height and weight to classify whether you are underweight, normal weight, obese and overweight. The World Health Organization (WHO) notes that a healthy BMI is associated with a reduced risk of chronic diseases like heart disease, Type 2 diabetes and certain cancers. Additionally the National Institute of Health (NIH) highlights that excess body fat may affect metabolism, hormone balance and overall organ function. Thus making BMI a practical screening tool during the routine health examination.

"BMI can guide nutritional and exercise counseling even if it is inadequate for reliable individual risk prediction. BMI cut-offs must be reconsidered in populations of varying body build, age, and/or ethnicity," the NIH explains. "Since BMI-diagnosed overweight persons are sometimes physically and physiologically fit by other indicators, persons who are overweight on BMI should be more fully evaluated, diagnosed, and monitored with combined anthropometric and performance metrics to better clarify risks."

Check Your BMI Here

BMI = weight (kg)/height (m) 2. The formula below allows you to compute the BMI in a very fast way. For example when you have a weight of 60 kg and a height of 1.5 m, your BMI would be about 26.7. BMI classifications you need to know as per the global health organization include:

• BMI below 17.0 indicates moderate and severe thinness
• BMI below 18.5 indicates underweight
• BMI between 18.5 to 24.9 indicates normal weight
• BMI above 25.0 indicates overweight
• BMI above 30.0 indicates obesity

Medical Conditions linked to overweight or obesity

According to the Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), patients in the overweight or obese groups might be more vulnerable to acquiring severe health problems in the future. These include:

• Early death
• Hypertension
• High or low LDL cholesterol
• High levels of triglycerides
• Type 2 diabetes
• Coronary heart disease
• Stroke
• Gallbladder disease
• Osteoarthritis
• Sleep apnea
• Breathing problems
• Many types of cancers
• Lower quality of life
• Mental illness such as clinical depression, anxiety etc
• Body pain and difficulty with physical functioning

Limitations of BMI

Although BMI is helpful it does not directly measure body fat, muscle mass, bone density or fat distribution. For example athletes who are very bulky with high muscle mass can have a higher BMI but are not excessively fat. Therefore Cleveland Clinicstates that BMI should be considered alongside other health indicators such as waist circumference, lifestyle habits and medical history.

What to do if your BMI is high

In case you are in the overweight or obese category then making little changes in your lifestyle can do wonders. Dr. Shrey Srivastava, Senior Consultant of Internal Medicine at Sharda Hospital recommends undergoing detailed investigations. Additionally if your BMI is high which means (overweight, BMI 23 kg/m ; obese, BMI 25 kg/m using Indian cut-offs) then he suggests the following points to stay healthy:

• Pay attention to a healthy diet consisting of whole foods
• Ensure to remain physically active
• Cut down consumption of processed and sugary foods
• Sleep well and deal with stress

"The overweight BMI should be recognized as an early warning sign rather than a defining condition," Dr. Srivastava said. "The emphasis should be on improving overall well-being, rather than seeking rapid weight loss." Here are some evidence-based suggestions that can be followed for weight reduction:

• Weight reduction of 5 to 10 per cent can lead to a significant reduction in cardiometabolic risk
• Adopt a healthy, balanced and calorie-appropriate diet with high levels of fibres and lean protein
• Perform regular physical activities such as 150 to 300 minutes of moderate-intensity exercises
• Pay attention to clinical markers such as blood pressure, blood glucose and lipid profiles
• Stress the importance of sleep as well as individualized guidance from healthcare professionals

Dr. Srivastava further notes that from the scientific perspective diet is the most important factor in the reduction of BMI because it controls the energy we consume. Whereas exercise plays a supporting role in the reduction of BMI because it helps in improving body composition and the sustainability of weight loss.

Other alternatives to BMI for measuring health

Here are some other measures that can provide better health information according to Dr. Srivastava:

• Waist circumference is a strong predictor of abdominal fat
• Waist-hip ratio can measure fat distribution
• Body fat percentage can distinguish between fat and lean mass
• Metabolic markers like blood glucose, lipid profile and blood pressure
• Physical Fitness such as cardiorespiratory fitness and muscular strength

"The failure of BMI to fully capture cardiometabolic risk is partially related to the fact that BMI in isolation is an insufficient biomarker of abdominal adiposity," the NIH explains. "Waist circumference is a simple method to assess abdominal adiposity that is easy to standardize and clinically apply. Waist circumference is strongly associated with all-cause and cardiovascular mortality with or without adjustment for BMI... Thus, waist circumference enables a further refinement of the adverse health risk characterized by BMI and this measurement should be included when stratifying obesity-related health risk."

Understanding your BMI is not a matter of labelling your body but it's about gaining knowledge and taking control of your health. It is important to note that any type of health risk associated with weight can be prevented with early detection. Always remember that living a healthy lifestyle is not about figures but being aware of your BMI which is the ultimate starting point of making healthier and informed decisions.

The content on TheHealthSite.com is only for informational purposes. It is not at all professional medical advice. Always consult your doctor or a healthcare specialist for any questions regarding your health or a medical condition.