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Body mass index

Obesity, as you understand, is characterized by excessive accumulation of fat. Body mass index or BMI is a wonderful tool to find whether one's weight is in the normal range or not. This is expressed by simple formula as weight in kilogram divided by height in meter square.

BMI=Weight in kg / (height in meters)2

Body mass index basically establishes the relationship between weight and height.
According to international obesity task force (IOTF) and national institute of health (NIH) :-

• The healthy range for the BMI is between 18.5 and 24.9.
• Overweight when BMI is between 25 and 29.9.
• Class I obesity is between 30 and 34.9.
• Class II obesity is between 35 and 39.9.
• Class III or extreme obesity is when BMI is more than 40.

Calculate your Body mass index:-

Salient features of Body mass index

• High body mass index correlates with obesity, high blood pressure, diabetes and impaired blood lipid profiles. Individuals with high BMI are thus prone for heart attack, stroke, cancer, arthritis of knee and hip joints.


• Regular calculation of BMI helps us identify the factors of excess body weight and thereby help set the goals for weight reduction.


• BMI is generally applicable in persons less than 74 years. After age 75, there is no longer an association between increased BMI and diseases or death.


• BMI calculation may not be applicable for athletes who have large amounts of lean muscle mass.


• In addition to BMI values, fitness and physical activities are also  important components of healthy status.  For example physically active otherwise slightly overweight persons have less risk of diseases than unfit, lean person with BMI of < 24.9.

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