BMI CALCULATION WOMEN FULL

However, on an individual level, BMI can be less accurate, and it is best used in conjunction with other data (e.g., body composition tests) in the full assessment of an individual’s weight status. Furthermore, it is a good tool for estimating risk for specific outcomes (e.g., mortality, cardiovascular disease, diabetes). As such, on a population level, BMI can approximate levels of adiposity to a useful degree. However, it is a tool based on large sample sizes and is primarily used as a risk prediction tool over large numbers of people.

It is important to understand that BMI does not discriminate between fat mass and lean mass and does not directly address adiposity (i.e., body fat percentage). However, oftentimes these discussions fail to understand exactly what BMI is and how best to utilize it as a tool. Those with a BMI of 30 or higher have reported a roughly 2-fold increase in the risk of stroke (Kurth et al., 2002).īMI is often debated as not being a useful tool.

Stroke: Stroke is the fifth leading cause of disease among adults in the United States.

Some evidence shows that for every unit increase in BMI, there is a 1-2 mmHg increase in blood pressure (Linderman et al., 2018).

Hypertension: Hypertension, or elevated blood pressure, is one of the leading modifiable risk factors for cardiovascular disease.For example, higher BMI is associated with higher rates of liver and colon cancer (Bhaskaran et al., 2014). However, BMI is linked to some forms of cancer. Cancer: Cancer is a complicated disease with many different factors leading to its cause.In fact, in some studies, those who have a BMI in the “overweight” category carry a roughly 6-fold higher risk of developing diabetes than those with a normal BMI (Sanada et al., 2012). Diabetes: BMI is one of the most robust predictors of developing diabetes.However, it doesn’t require being in the highest category, even those in the “overweight” category carry a 20% higher risk of having a cardiovascular event (Khan et al., 2018). Some studies show that individuals with the highest classification of BMI have a 3-fold higher risk of having a cardiovascular event than those in the normal BMI category. Cardiovascular Disease: As BMI increases the risk of cardiovascular disease also increases.Here is a list of 5 health risks associated with a high BMI. This is especially true when BMI is utilized to predict the risk of chronic diseases and many of the leading causes of death. When we look at human health data, BMI is one of the most effective risk prediction tools we have in modern medicine. doi:10.1097/MED.BMI is an incredibly useful tool for risk prediction. Current body composition measurement techniques. Race-Ethnicity-Specific Waist Circumference Cutoffs for Identifying Cardiovascular Disease Risk Factors. Zhu S, Heymsfield SB, Toyoshima H, Wang Z, Pietrobelli A, Heshka S. National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute. What’s New in Understanding the Risk Associated With Body Size and Shape? Pears, Apples, and Olives on Toothpicks. Golzarri-Arroyo L, Mestre LM, Allison DB. Ethnic Differences in BMI and Disease Risk. Body Mass Index Versus Body Fat Percentage in Prospective National Football League Athletes: Overestimation of Obesity Rate in Athletes at the National Football League Scouting Combine. Provencher MT, Chahla J, Sanchez G, et al. Those who carry weight around the middle-what's called an “apple” body shape-have higher health risks than people with a 'pear' shape (those who accumulate weight in the hips and thighs).Ĭenters for Disease Control and Prevention. Body shape: Evidence suggests that where body fat is located matters.Race/ethnicity: Body fat proportions can vary by race, meaning that BMI scores can mean very different things if you are Asian (who have greater proportional body fat than Whites at the same BMI) or White (who have greater proportional body fat than Blacks at the same BMI).For example, a BMI below 23 in someone over 75-which is in the 'normal' range for adults-is associated with a higher risk of mortality (death), while being in the “overweight” range is not. Age: BMI may not accurately predict health risks for young and old people.Therefore, a woman in a “safe” category may be at higher risk of heart disease and other conditions than her male counterpart of the same BMI. Sex: Females tend to have more body fat than males.It can also underestimate body fat in people with very little muscle mass. Muscle mass: Because BMI cannot distinguish between fat and muscles, it can overestimate body fat in athletes or individuals with lots of muscle mass.

Bmi calculation women