What does our BMI inform us about

How we define Body Mass Index

Body mass index (BMI) is defined as a person's weight in kilograms divided by the square of their height, ie:

BMI (kg/m²)=Weight (kg)/Height (m²)

This size does not require cost or any very special methodology to measure it (just a weight scale!) and is useful for assessing a person's weight and classifying them into weight categories - ie underweight, normal, overweight, obese.

Interpretation of BMI

For people under 18, BMI should be taken into account for age and gender, because the amount of body fat changes with developmental stage and differs between girls and boys.

But why do we care about the value of BMI?

BMI is associated with risk and outcome of metabolic conditions and diseases. These are for example: hypertension, dyslipidemia, type 2 diabetes, coronary heart disease, gall bladder disease, sleep apnea and breathing problems, chronic inflammation, certain cancers (endometrial, breast, colon, kidney, gall bladder and liver), difficulty in physical mode.

Is a high BMI always an indicator of poor health?

Caution! BMI is a good indicator of a person's health status, it is not a diagnostic criterion of a person's poor health, nor does it reveal body fat composition with absolute accuracy.

As far as body composition is concerned (which we can calculate with a lipometric method, the ratio of muscle tissue to fat in our body is of great importance. We may have a normal weight, but at the same time low muscle tissue and increased fat tissue. The same applies vice versa, i.e. increased weight, due to increased muscle tissue and fat within normal limits, in both cases the goal weight should be reassessed.

To determine if BMI is a health risk, one performs further assessments. Such assessments include skinfold thickness measurements, assessments of diet, physical activity, and family history.