Testimonial \”Melodie\”

The BMI ranges are based on the relationship between body weight and disease and death. Overweight and obese individuals are at increased risk for many diseases and health conditions, including the following:

Orthopaedic

Slipped Capital Femoral Epiphysis

Blount’s Disease

Early Osteoarthritis

Painful Flat Feet

Carpal Tunnel Syndrome

Avascular Necrosis of Femoral Head

Genu valgus

Neurology

Pseudotumor cerebri

Increased Neural Tube Defects with Maternal Obesity

Pulmonary

Sleep Apnea or Obesity Hypoventilation Syndrome

Asthma

Daytime Somnolence

Gastrointestinal

Steatohepatitis

Gallbladder Disease

Acute Pancreatitis

Gynecology

Polycystic Ovarian Disease

Hyperandrogenism

Amenorrheal/Oligomenorrhea

Hirsutism

Fertility Problems

Endocrine

Diabetes Mellitus

Hyperinsulinemia/Insulin Resistance

Metabolic Syndrome (Dysmetabolic Syndrome, Syndrome X)

Prediabetes (Impaired Glucose Tolerance)

Hypertension

Gynecomastia

Hypogonadism

Cardiovascular

Post-Exercise Tolerance

Easy Fatigueability

Dyslipidemia (Early Cardiovascular Disease)

Deep Vein Thrombosis or Hypercoaguability

Increased Risk of CVD (Increased Fibrinogen, increased CRP, increased PAI-1 [Phasminogen Activator Inhibitor-1])

Psychology

Other Eating Disorders

Depression or Poor Self-Esteem

Ostracism

Oncology

Increased Risk of Cancer—Breast, Colorectal, Endometral, Esophageal, Renal, Pancreatic

Metabolic

Gout

Infectious

Yeast Infections

Skin

Acanthosis, Nigricans, Skin Tags

Striae

Necrosis Lipoidica Diabeticorum

Acne

Maceration with Skin Folds

Falliculitis

What is BMI?

Body Mass Index (BMI) is a number calculated from a person’s weight and height. BMI is a reliable indicator of body fatness for people. BMI does not measure body fat directly, but research has shown that BMI correlates to direct measures of body fat, such as underwater weighing and dual energy x-ray absorptiometry (DXA).^{1, 2} BMI can be considered an alternative for direct measures of body fat. Additionally, BMI is an inexpensive and easy-to-perform method of screening for weight categories that may lead to health problems.

How is BMI used?

BMI is used as a screening tool to identify possible weight problems for adults. However, BMI is not a diagnostic tool. For example, a person may have a high BMI. However, to determine if excess weight is a health risk, a healthcare provider would need to perform further assessments. These assessments might include skinfold thickness measurements, evaluations of diet, physical activity, family history, and other appropriate health screenings.

Why use BMI to measure overweight and obesity?

Calculating BMI is one of the best methods for population assessment of overweight and obesity. Because calculation requires only height and weight, it is inexpensive and easy to use for clinicians and for the general public. The use of BMI allows people to compare their own weight status to that of the general population.

How reliable is BMI as an indicator of body fatness?

The correlation between the BMI number and body fatness is fairly strong; however the correlation varies by sex, race, and age. These variations include the following examples: ^{3, 4}

• At the same BMI, women tend to have more body fat than men.
• At the same BMI, older people, on average, tend to have more body fat than younger adults.
• Highly trained athletes may have a high BMI because of increased muscularity rather than increased body fatness.

It is also important to remember that BMI is only one factor related to risk for disease. For assessing someone’s likelihood of developing overweight- or obesity-related diseases, the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute guidelines recommend looking at two other predictors:

• The individual’s waist circumference (because abdominal fat is a predictor of risk for obesity-related diseases).
• Other risk factors the individual has for diseases and conditions associated with obesity (for example, high blood pressure or physical inactivity).

Is BMI interpreted the same way for children and teens as it is for adults?

Although the BMI number is calculated the same way for children and adults, the criteria used to interpret the meaning of the BMI number for children and teens are different from those used for adults. For children and teens, BMI age- and sex-specific percentiles are used for two reasons:

• The amount of body fat changes with age.
• The amount of body fat differs between girls and boys.

Because of these factors, the interpretation of BMI is both age- and sex-specific for children and teens. The CDC BMI-for-age growth charts take into account these differences and allow translation of a BMI number into a percentile for a child’s sex and age.