What is Body Mass Index (BMI)?

Body Mass Index (BMI) is a measurement of a person’s weight with respect to his or her height. It is more of an indicator than a direct measurement of a person’s total body fat.

The BMI (Body Mass Index) is used to quickly and simply determine a person’s weight in regard to their height. BMI determine underweight, normal, overweight or obese.

Many people who are overweight never develop diabetes. However, obesity has been statistically proven to increase type 2 diabetes risk and sleep-disordered breathing.

The calculation for BMI was invented by Adolphe Quetelet, a Belgian mathematician born in 1796. He proposed that people’s weight could be classified relative to an ideal weight for their height.

To this day, Body Mass Index is also referred to as the Quetelet index.

BMI (kg/m²) = mass (kg) / height (m)²

BMI is not accurate enough to be used as a diagnostic tool. However, it is used as a screening tool to identify potential weight problems in adults.

Body Mass Index is a simple calculation using a person’s height and weight. The formula is BMI = kg/m² where kg is a person’s weight in kilograms and m² is their height in meters squared.

 In adults, being overweight is defined as a BMI of 25.0-29.9 kg/m2 (for Indian population its 23.0-24.9 kg/m2 and obesity is defined as a BMI of 30.0kg/m2 or greater (for Indian population its 25.0 kg/m2 or greater).BMI applies to most adults 18-65 years.

BMI is an indicator of total body fat in many individuals. Thus it is considered as an indicator of health risk.

For example, those with a high BMI are at risk of:-

• Dyslipidemia
• type 2 diabetes
• heart disease
• stroke
• high blood pressure
• certain cancers
• gallbladder disease
• sleep apnea and snoring
• osteoarthritis and joint disease