However, it does recommend that for public health purposes, some Asian groups should be considered overweight if their BMI is 22-25, and obese with a BMI of 26-31. The World Health Organisation has looked at the evidence and because of the variability between different Asian populations, it hasn't officially changed the cut-off points. This means their health risks start to rise at a lower BMI, because intra-abdominal fat is directly linked to development of heart disease and type 2 diabetes. People with this pattern of weight gain are described as ‘apples’ rather than ‘pears’ from their body outline. People of Asian origin are prone to accumulating intra-abdominal fat (fat deep inside your stomach cavity rather than under your skin) at a lower BMI than people of Caucasian origin. However, this only applies to people who do high levels of exercise – much more than average. If you are very muscular, your level of body fat may be lower than predicted by your BMI. Intra-abdominal fat is much more closely linked to risks of type 2 diabetes and heart disease than fat under the skin. If you are very muscularīMI assumes you have an average amount of body fat, including ‘intra-abdominal fat’ – fat deep inside your stomach cavity rather than under your skin. Usual BMI estimates do not apply if you’re pregnant. Your GP or health visitor can advise on where your child sits on the ‘centile charts’ used to estimate healthy weights for children. However, there are some situations where BMI may underestimate or overestimate these risks in the 25-35 BMI range. If your BMI is over 35, your weight is definitely putting your health at risk, regardless of the factors below. There is really no such thing as someone who is big-boned." Dr Jan Sambrook, How to lose weight in a healthy wayįor most adults, BMI gives a good estimate of your weight-related health risks. But this causes quite a small variation in weight and is accounted for in the range of healthy BMI. "Some people naturally have a larger frame than others. As levels of overweight or obesity increase, the spotlight has fallen on BMI and its shortcomings as a measure of ideal weight for individuals, rather than whole populations of people where 'averages' apply. Accurate assessments of obesity are important, as being overweight or obese significantly increases your risk of a variety of medical conditions including type 2 diabetes, heart disease and cancer. For that kind of person with more muscle mass than ordinary people, the fat-free mass index is a much better, much more effective choice.Your BMI, or Body Mass Index, is a measure of your weight compared to your height. Note that for somebody who exercises daily or trains professionally, BMI is mostly useless. On the other hand, body mass index (BMI) is a general estimation of your health that works well for most of the population. This difference allows FFMI to estimate somebody's body and health condition correctly. If the mass of fat increases, the FFMI goes down, and if the mass of muscle increases, FFMI rises. That is where the fat-free mass index comes in with a solution.įFMI is defined in a way that allows distinguishing between fat gain and muscle gain. Both situations mean the same from BMI's viewpoint – weight increase results in a BMI index increase. On the other hand, it is a good thing when an athlete (or fitness enthusiast) puts on weight because of increased muscle mass. When somebody gains weight, caused by fat tissue increase, that means the person has become less healthy. From another point of view, an inactive person who does not exercise and is in an unhealthy state might get a perfect BMI result. Somebody with a lot of muscle mass can be classified negatively – as overweight or even obese.Īs described in our BMI (body mass index) calculator, the BMI method is based only on weight, and therefore it doesn't take into account the difference in tissues and body type. For example, people with different heights and weights can have the same BMI, even though they have different amounts of fat and muscle. Maybe, at first glance, it doesn't seem that big a problem, but the critics of BMI are justified. However, this method has its limitations, the most significant being that it doesn't take into account the weight of your lean muscle mass and your amount of body fat. The results are classified according to the defined norms, and thanks to that, you can say whether your weight is ideal or normal or if you are overweight or even obese (see ideal body weight calculator). Body mass index is a parameter calculated from your weight and height.
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