Calculators

Body Mass Index

Body weight can be a good indication of your health and, as such, there are a number of measurements based on it to asses your physical condition. Once such measurement is Basal Mass Index or BMI.

BMI is defined as a measurement used to determine your level of fitness by assessing the “normalcy” of your body weight. The importance of this index lies in its relationship to all-cause mortality. As BMI becomes larger, risk increase for cardiovascular disease, diabetes, certain cancers and renal disease.

The lowest health risk occurs for BMIs in the range of 20 to 25. The highest risk is values 40 and over. For women, the most desirable range is from 21.3 to 22.1 and for men it’s from 21.9 to 22.4. When BMI exceeds 27.8 for men and 27.3 for women an increase in disease starts to occur.

As for weight, classification for overweight is 25 to 29 and obesity is a BMI greater then or equal to 30.

A drawback of the measurement like others based on weight is that it does not take into account a your body composition. For example, an athlete such as a football player or body builder may be classified as overweight by the index. But because he has more lean mass than a typical person of that size, his risk for chronic diseases would not be as high. Thus, your level of fitness should also be taken into account when interpreting your BMI number.

To determine your BMI, use the following equation:

BMI = (Weight in Pounds / (Height in inches) x (Height in inches)) x 703

The Metric equivalent of the equation is:

BMI = (Weight in Kilograms / (Height in Meters) x (Height in Meters))