subject: Why It May Be Time to Throw Out That BMI Calculator [print this page] As everyone knows, the body-mass index (BMI) is a popular means to determine obesity. You divide your weight in kilos by your squared height in meters to obtain a score. The BMI calculator is commonly used by health ministries of many governments around the world to determine obesity, but this may not be the best means of doing so. If you're one of those people who devote their time to counting calories, you would know a normal BMI score is 20-25. Anything below this range indicates an underweight individual, while a score exceeding 25 is indicative of obesity. Yet, these scores don't take into account the build of a person. For instance, athletes come in different shapes and sizes depending on their discipline. Therefore, you wouldn't consider a long-distance runner underweight even though the BMI clearly indicates otherwise. At the opposite end of the scale, the BMI of a weightlifter may put him in the obese category, when he is obviously anything but. This scale doesnt take into account the size of a person either. When Quetelet developed the BMI calculator in the 19th century, people of the time were not as tall as they are today. As such, they are considered severely underweight according to the scale. Similarly, people tend to shrink as they grow older, but their metabolism may be more sluggish compared to that in their youth. Whether or not they're the counting calories sort of person, weight gain is inevitable. Even if a senior citizen is in great physical shape, their BMI would peg them as being overweight. Since the ratio between height and weight is quite arbitrary and unreliable, health care providers are instead recommending that a healthy weight be determined based on the individual's waist-hip ratio. Not only is it easier to calculate, it has proven to be a good indicator of an individual's heart and cardiovascular health risks. Even if you don't have a calculator to determine if yours is a healthy weight, it's still possible to gauge it based on how well your clothes fit.
Why It May Be Time to Throw Out That BMI Calculator
