what is your bmi?

BMI or Basal Metabolic Index is a value calculated from a person’s weight and height.  According to an article released by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, It is a good indicator of the amount of body fat.  However, it cannot be considered a diagnostic tool. Based on a study published in 2007 by the International Journal of Obesity, the BMI is a helpful predictor of future risks of coronary heart disease.

And so, how do you measure your BMI?

BMI can be calculated by getting your weight in kilograms and dividing it with your height in meters². For example if your weight is 75 kilograms and your height is 1.60 meters your BMI formula would be 75kilograms/1.6 meters² = 29.30.

How do you interpret your BMI result?

Based on the information published by CDC, BMI can be interpreted using a standard weight status category wherein a value of BMI that is less than 18.5 is considered underweight.  18.5 to 24.9 can be accepted to be within the normal range, 25 to 29.9 overweight and above 30 is obese.

What is the significance of your BMI?

As mentioned before, BMI is considered a good predictor of future causes of morbidity such as coronary heart disease. Furthermore, it can also be a great help in projecting other problematic health conditions such as hypertension, diabetes and certain types of cancer.

Is BMI a 100% reliable predictor of future morbidities?

According to CDC, there are certain conditions that may affect the interpretation of your BMI.  For example, if you are a woman, you are expected to have more body fats compared to a man of the same height and weight.  If you are a middle aged person, you may have more body fats compared to a person belonging to the younger age group with the same weight and height.  Highly trained athletes are considered a special case because their usually greater BMI results do not mean that they have more body fats. Their higher BMI results only mean they have a bulkier muscular body mass.

What are the possible outcomes of a high BMI measurement?

As mentioned by CDC, BMI can show the direct relationship between body weight, disease and death.  Thus being overweight means that you are more likely to develop other potentially morbid conditions such as hypertension, increased blood cholesterol level, diabetes, heart disease, stroke, gallbladder disease and certain types of cancer.