Those With Normal BMIs May Still Carry Too Much Fat
The Mayo Clinic warns that people with a normal body mass index (BMI) may still need to be concerned about obesity.
BMI is the ratio of height to weight, and it is often used to determine whether or not someone is overweight. Dr. Francisco Lopez-Jimenez and colleagues at the Mayo Clinic recently reported that people with normal BMIs that still have excess body fat were more likely to have high cholesterol and extra body fat, which are both characteristics of metabolic syndrome.
Lopez-Jimenez calls the condition “normal-weight obesity”, and it was found in 61% of a sample of 2,127 men and women with normal BMIs. Francisco says that “it normally comes down to exercise.” He recommends that people should perform both strength training and aerobic workouts.
I recently posted about the growing levels of obesity in the US. However, it seems like being normal weight may not be enough. However, I have never put much stock in the BMI. It does not account for muscle mass, which weighs more than body fat. Therefore, muscular people may have high BMIs, while people with “normal-weight obesity” will have acceptable BMIs.
Reference: MedLine Plus
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I guess it’s just more of a general thing to go by. My BMI is always right in the middle, but I would like it to be lower, of course. But I’m with you and I don’t really take my BMI too seriously.
Lindsay’s last blog post..Thank you
I agree, I hoe people don’t put too much stock in BMI’s. There should be another way to measure obesity.
BMI definitely has its shortcomings. While it may be appropriate for those who don’t exercise, it certainly is less than adequate for those who do.
A person with normal BMI may be victim of high cholesterol and body fat. Is there any other index which gives completely normal state? Let me visit mayo clinic site. Please keep us update about health related findings. Thanks a lot!
I guess the best way to tell if you have too much body fat is to do a measurement test. I recently used this body fat calculator, http://www.bmi-calculator.net/body-fat-calculator/, to find out my body weight. I had a 17.74% body fat even though I fell perfectly in the middle of my BMI range. And since I found out my body fat percentage I’ve started to exercise more.
I never have been that impressed with BMI. I’m overweight according to BMI, despite having a 33-34 inch waist.
We shouldn’t just rely on BMI. My BMI is just good but in my opinion my fat-muscle ratio just isn’t good. I think that only professional check of fat amount can tell you your real health status.
The problem with BMI is that it works mostly for people who are not active. When you work out and your muscle get heavier BMI stops being relevant. It often tells people with body fat <12% that they’re obese just because they have a lot of muscle.
We should control the fat content in our body.Otherwise it may lead to heart diseases etc.This blog give information about Body Mass Index.
Maybe this BMI is not so reliable after all. I know a man who isn’t fat at all and his BMI told him he was obese. So probably it is not the best way to measure our proper weight.
I agree that BMI is not so reliable. It is so much different for each person and depends on personal conditions that it simply can’t work in general.
I really agree with all comments above. In my opinion, BMI not reliable.