What is Body Mass Index

The most basic definition of obesity or overweight is having extra body fat to the extent that it becomes a potential health risk and BMI is a reliable way to find out if the person has too much body fat.

Body Mass Index, or commonly known as BMI, is a measurement of choice used by physicians to check whether you have healthy weight or not. The BMI is derived from a mathematical formula that factors in the person’s height as well as his/her weight.

BMI Chart

BMI is not an absolute perfect measure as it does not directly access body fat.

BMI is not an ideal measure, because it does not directly evaluate body fat. As bone and muscle are denser than fat, a muscular person or an athlete may have a higher BMI, but still not have too much fat. But typically, most individuals are not sportsmen, and for most people, BMI is a very good evaluation of their level of body fat. The BMI is calculated based on your height and your body weight. The

Please refer to the chart below

Body Weight (pounds)

How is BMI Calculated?

The BMI is calculated by dividing the person’s weight in kilograms/pounds by his/her height in square meters (BMI = kg/m2). However, you don’t need to fret over the calculations as there are lots of free BMI calculators available online. The result tells you how healthy you are.

So if you weighed 85 kg and your height is 1.5 metres then you will work out your BMI like this:

85 ÷ 1.5 ÷ 1.5 = 31.1

Below is a BMI table for adults

What is the clinical relevance of BMI

BMI in adults works as a health index. If the person’s body fat level is above average, then the BMI acts as a scale used regularly along with the methods used by the individual to reduce this excessive unhealthy fat. A review of 10,000+ people in the United States, published in 2014, showed that people with a BMI of 25-29.9 had a 50% increased risk of diabetes compared to people with a BMI of 18.5-24.9. The results found:

• BMI 25-29.9 (overweight): 50% higher type 2 diabetes risk
• BMI 30-34.9 (obesity class I): 2.5 times more likely to get diabetes
• BMI 35-39.9 (obesity class II): 3.6 times more likely to get diabetes
• BMI 40+ (obesity class III): 5.1 times more likely to develop diabetes

What is Normal BMI?

A healthy BMI range lies between 18.5 to 24.9. A thin person with lots of muscle can have more a higher BMI than the larger sized person whose weight constitutes mostly of fat rather than muscle.

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