![]() ![]() Generally speaking, “people can be healthy or unhealthy in any of the BMI categories,” adds One Drop coach Julia Dugas, RDN, and certified personal trainer (CPT). And, as a result, “their blood sugars and chronic disease risk will likely be different,” says Hanna. ![]() In other words, two people can have identical BMIs but vastly different distributions of fat in their bodies. “One of the limitations of BMI is that it doesn’t indicate which part of the body has more fat,” explains Hanna. Why? Insulin resistance is most closely associated with visceral fat, which lies in the spaces between your abdominal organs (e.g., you can’t see it with the naked eye), while subcutaneous fat is found between the skin and outer abdominal wall (e.g., it’s easier to see-for example, the fat in our under-arms). However, while higher BMIs are often correlated with insulin resistance, BMI alone “does not say beyond a reasonable doubt that a person will have more or less insulin resistance” (not to mention the chronic conditions that can result from insulin resistance, such as diabetes), notes One Drop coach Hanna, CDCES, and registered dietitian/nutritionist (RDN). “When BMI is higher, there are typically additional fat cells in the body, which make it harder to move sugar in the blood into the cells, thus increasing insulin resistance.” “Those who have a BMI of 30 or higher tend to be at a greater risk of insulin resistance, which can elevate blood glucose,” explains One Drop coach Lisa Graham, a registered nurse (RN) and certified diabetes care and education specialist (CDCES). While BMI alone can’t be used for diagnosis, some research suggests that BMI is accurate in predicting the risk of conditions such as high blood pressure and diabetes, hence its use as an initial screening measure. Weight Loss Plateaus Are Part of the Process-Here’s How to Navigate Them What BMI Metrics Can and Can’t Tell You However, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), BMI “does not diagnose the body fatness or health of an individual.” Two centuries later, BMI is still used to screen for weight categories-healthy (18.5-24.9), underweight (below 18.5), overweight (25-29.9), and obese (above 30)-that may be associated with certain health issues. (If you’re not one for the metric system or mental math, you can always use an online BMI calculator.)Īs for its origins, BMI was first introduced in the early 19th century by a Belgian mathematician named Lambert Adolphe Jacques Quetelet, who created the formula as a simple way to help the government measure obesity rates in the general population-not in individual people-to determine the distribution of health-related resources. ![]() ![]() Technically speaking, the formula for BMI is weight in kilograms divided by height in meters squared. However, there are plenty of other factors that can affect your risk of these conditions BMI is simply one among several pieces of the puzzle. We do know that high BMIs are often linked to multiple chronic conditions, including high blood pressure, diabetes, and heart disease. But, aside from weight and height, what can BMI calculators really capture about your health? BMI was even used as eligibility criteria for receiving a COVID-19 vaccine when the shots were first being given. If you’ve ever walked into a doctor’s office, you’ve probably seen a body mass index (BMI) chart on the wall or listened to your physician explain which BMI category you fit into. ![]()
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