There is nothing that gives a definite idea of your health. The way you treat yourself and the way you feel from within often indicate your health and well-being.
However, in these modern times, doctors and health professionals use different measurements to define health. This is why you keep hearing terms like Body Mass Index or BMI during your checkups.
Measurements like BMI are actually important to assess the overall health of a person. You can consider this aspect as one of the ways to monitor an individual’s body composition and weight.
BMI stands for Body Mass Index and it is an estimate of the body fat percentage of a person. Let us learn more about BMI in adult men and other important aspects of this body fat indicator.
What is Body Mass Index (BMI)?
Generally used for the assessment of obesity rates of populations, Body Mass Index is the value of an individual’s weight in relation to his/her height. It is essentially an estimate of the amount of body fat a person has.
Most of the big health authorities around the world consider BMI as a reliable indicator of fatness.
Though body mass index does not measure a person’s body fat directly, it gives a good indication of measures of body fat. BMI is closely related to the risks of metabolic disorders and chronic diseases.
It is calculated by dividing the weight of a person in kilograms by his height in metre squares. And you need not worry about doing the calculation.
Use our BMI Calculator to get your BMI by just entering the weight and height. The number that you get helps you determine whether you have a healthy weight.
Here is how BMI is interpreted:
Below 18.5 – Underweight
18.5 – 24.9 – Normal Weight
25 – 29.9 – Overweight
Over 30 – Obese
Body Mass Index has remained a popular tool to measure body fat as it is easy to use. It does not require too many measurements and can be calculated quickly. Apart from this calculation, there are BMI charts for adults where you can find your weight and height to see the body mass index corresponding to the values.
What Does the BMI Suggest?
Body Mass Index is a good way to find out if you have a healthy weight. This works for most people. BMI is an important consideration because the high value is known to be associated with risks of weight-related chronic diseases.
A higher BMI indicates that you have increased risks of developing heart disease, type 2 diabetes, high blood pressure, stroke, gallbladder diseases and certain types of cancers. It is important to make sure your BMI falls in the normal range to be healthy and disease-free.
If your BMI is less than 18.5, you fall in the underweight category. This is not a good thing because being underweight can impact your health adversely. If you are underweight, chances are that you don’t eat a healthy diet or don’t eat enough.
This means your body can be deficient in essential nutrients, vitamins and minerals. It is advisable to visit a health professional to discuss what you can do to have a healthy weight.
If your BMI falls between 18.5 and 24.9, it is in the healthy weight category. This is good for your health. You should make efforts to maintain weight as you age. You can devise an effective diet and exercise program to maintain a healthy weight.
The BMI value between 25 and 29.9 is in the overweight category. This is again not a healthy weight. This range of BMI suggests an increased risk of physical and mental problems.
It is beneficial to move towards a healthy weight. You can start by losing a small percentage of weight as smaller changes also make bigger differences when it comes to health.
A BMI of 30 or more means you are in the obese weight category. This weight indicates that you have a highly increased risk of developing weight-related health issues.
You should consult your health practitioner to analyze your condition and make a plan to lower your BMI. You can lose weight to move towards a healthy one to improve your overall health.
It is worth noting that Body Mass Index is just one of the methods to find whether your weight is healthy. Other measures like waist circumference can prove to be useful when determining your risks of chronic diseases.
BMI in Men – What You Should Know?
The mathematical formula used to calculate body mass index is universal and applies to adult men and women as well as children. However, the values of BMI for kids and teens are interpreted differently because their weight changes fast with age.
Though the values for weight categories are the same for adult men and women, both genders differ in body composition.
This suggests that it is not a good idea to consider the healthy BMI for men as the one for women. Similarly, the BMI values and charts should not be the same for men and women.
This is because women naturally tend to have more fat than men. The healthy percentage of body fat for women is 20-21 while men should have a low body fat percentage in the range of 13-17.
Talking about the BMI in adult men, there can be some problems with age. BMI seems to be unreliable for older men as they tend to accumulate fat as they age.
The BMI calculator can underestimate fatness in older adults because, after the age of 60, muscle mass is replaced by fat mass. So, even though an elderly man would have a healthy range of BMI, he can have a high body fat percentage.
Another important thing you should know about BMI in men is the inconsistency for bodybuilders and athletes. BMI calculators cannot be used for athletes because they have a different body composition than normal men.
Their BMI values can suggest overweight or obese weight even when they are fit and healthy. This is because they have a lot of muscle mass and less body fat.