BMI does not measure body fat. If you're interested in knowing your percentage of lean mass versus fat mass there are several methods of assessing a body's percentage of fat. These methods are referred to as body composition analysis. Some of the most common measurements include:.
While body mass index can be a useful tool for some people, it is just one number that should always be considered within the context of other data. Talk to your healthcare provider about the best way to understand your BMI as part of a comprehensive plan for good health and longevity.
Get exercise tips to make your workouts less work and more fun. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. About adult BMI. Updated April 10, Health risks of overweight and obesity. Updated February American Heart Association. Reviewed August Obesity and cardiovascular diseases: implications regarding fitness, fatness, and severity in the obesity paradox.
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We and our partners process data to: Actively scan device characteristics for identification. If someone has a high or low BMI, a doctor or other healthcare professional might then consider other factors, such as:. The doctor or healthcare professional can then make diet and exercise recommendations based on these results. Carrying extra weight as a child or teenager can also pose significant health risks, both during childhood and into adulthood. As with adult obesity, childhood obesity increases the risk of various health problems, including cardiovascular disease, diabetes, and sleep apnea.
Apart from reducing the risk of the health conditions, maintaining a healthy weight offers additional benefits:. For example, an athlete with a lot of muscle tissue may have a higher BMI than a person who is not very active.
But, this does not mean that the athlete is overweight or unhealthy. In addition, cardiovascular disease and high blood pressure are more likely to occur in people who have additional fat — known as visceral fat — around their middle rather than their hips. Other measures of body size include waist-hip ratio, waist-to-height ratio, and body composition, which measures body fat and lean body mass.
These measurement systems focus more on the amount of fat a person has and its distribution around the body. BMI can be a useful screening tool for predicting certain health risks.
However, people should use it with caution, as it does not take other factors — such as activity levels and body composition — into account. For children and teens, it is important to include their age and sex when taking a BMI measurement, because their bodies continuously change as they develop. Find out more and use our tools to get a better idea of how much…. Obesity refers to when a person is carrying excess weight.
It can put them at higher risk of a number of health conditions. Learn more here. Being a healthy weight offers many health benefits, as well as a feeling of wellbeing. The calculation is based on the following formulas:. With the metric system, the formula for BMI is weight in kilograms divided by height in meters squared. Because height is commonly measured in centimeters, divide height in centimeters by to obtain height in meters. Calculate BMI by dividing weight in pounds lbs by height in inches in squared and multiplying by a conversion factor of For adults 20 years old and older, BMI is interpreted using standard weight status categories.
These categories are the same for men and women of all body types and ages. BMI is interpreted differently for children and teens, even though it is calculated using the same formula as adult BMI. These percentiles were determined using representative data of the U. Obesity among 2- to year-olds is defined as a BMI at or above the 95 th percentile of children of the same age and sex in this to reference population.
For example, a year-old boy of average height 56 inches who weighs pounds would have a BMI of For adults, the interpretation of BMI does not depend on sex or age. Read more about interpreting adult BMI. The correlation between the BMI and body fatness is fairly strong 1,2,3,7 , but even if two people have the same BMI, their level of body fatness may differ The accuracy of BMI as an indicator of body fatness also appears to be higher in persons with higher levels of BMI and body fatness While, a person with a very high BMI e.
However, athletes may have a high BMI because of increased muscularity rather than increased body fatness. In general, a person who has a high BMI is likely to have body fatness and would be considered to be overweight or obese, but this may not apply to athletes.
People who have obesity are at increased risk for many diseases and health conditions, including the following: 10, 17, For more information about these and other health problems associated with obesity, visit Health Effects. A comparison of the Slaughter skinfold-thickness equations and BMI in predicting body fatness and cardiovascular disease risk factor levels in children.
Body fat throughout childhood in healthy Danish children: agreement of BMI, waist circumference, skinfolds with dual X-ray absorptiometry. Your ethnic group can also affect your risk of some health conditions. For example, adults of South Asian origin may have a higher risk of some health problems, such as diabetes, with a BMI of 23, which is usually considered healthy.
You should not use BMI as a measure if you're pregnant. Get advice from your midwife or GP if you're concerned about your weight. Page last reviewed: 15 July Next review due: 15 July
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