Body Mass Index, what is BMI and how it is assessed

The acronym BMI designates the body mass index. It is designed to assess the risks of overweight and obesity in adults

The criteria for its interpretation are provided by the World Health Organisation, but it is important to emphasise that they have statistical significance, especially in the case of athletes or elderly people.

The BMI in fact does not provide any indication of body fat distribution and does not distinguish between fat mass and lean mass, so some results may not describe the situation correctly.

An athlete, for example, might turn out to have a very high BMI but as a result of a developed muscle mass and not the presence of excess fat tissue.

Body mass index: how does BMI work?

The body mass index is also used in the diagnosis of obesity.

The BMI is determined by means of a simple calculation.

To do this, two pieces of data are needed, the weight and height of the individual being tested.

We proceed by dividing the weight expressed in kilograms (kg) by the height squared expressed in metres (m).

The results are classified as follows

BMI

Less than 18.5 = underweight

18.5 – 24.9 = normal weight

25 – 29.9 = overweight

30 and over – obesity

40 and over = extreme obesity

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Source

Humanitas

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