Bmi what is good

As a measurement, BMI has the following benefits :. While it correlates with body fat levels, BMI does not distinguish between the weight that comes from fat, muscle, and bone. Therefore, someone who is muscular could have the same BMI as someone with overweight. Additionally, the proportion of muscle, fat, and bone in the body typically changes as people age, especially among females. The average female loses roughly 13 pounds of muscle and bone between the ages of 25 and 65, while belly fat increases to four times its previous amount.

A year-old female who still weighs what she did when she was 25 may, therefore, have a BMI that falls in the healthy range despite having a much larger percentage of body fat. A high body fat percentage has an adverse effect on health. Those with excess fat around the belly had a higher risk of mortality.

In addition to BMI, women can use other methods to understand their weight, body composition, and risk for certain diseases. According to the Harvard School of Health , these include:. People can measure the circumference of their waist using a soft tape measure. This method also measures abdominal fat. Oxidative stress in obesity: a critical component in human diseases.

International Journal of Molecular Sciences. Dec ; 16 1 Skip directly to site content Skip directly to page options Skip directly to A-Z link. Healthy Weight, Nutrition, and Physical Activity. Section Navigation. Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Syndicate. About Adult BMI.

Minus Related Pages. On This Page. How is BMI used? Why is BMI used to measure overweight and obesity? What are other ways to assess excess body fatness besides BMI? How is BMI calculated? How is BMI interpreted for adults? Is BMI interpreted the same way for children and teens as it is for adults? How good is BMI as an indicator of body fatness? If an athlete or other person with a lot of muscle has a BMI over 25, is that person still considered to be overweight? What are the health consequences of obesity for adults?

The standard weight status categories associated with BMI ranges for adults are shown in the following table. To receive email updates about this topic, enter your email address. In general, the higher your BMI, the higher the risk of developing a range of conditions linked with excess weight, including. According to the WHO , nearly three million people die yearly worldwide due to being overweight or obese.

In addition, independent of any particular disease, people with high BMIs often report feeling better, both physically and psychologically, once they lose excess weight.

Research suggests that BMI alone frequently misclassifies metabolic health, which is linked to how much fat a person has and how it is distributed. And, BMI may be particularly unreliable during pregnancy, for athletes , and the elderly.

Actually, this should come as no surprise. BMI, as a single measure, would not be expected to identify cardiovascular health or illness; the same is true for cholesterol, blood sugar, or blood pressure as a single measure. Height cm. Weight kg. I am 18 years of age or older. Learn More. Related Posts. More Stories From Focused on Health. Carbohydrates have a bad reputation.

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