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Health care providers use body mass
index (BMI) and waist circumference measures to
assess a person's risk of developing diabetes,
heart disease, or other health problems. This fact
sheet tells you how to measure your BMI and waist
circumference, and what these measures mean for
your health.
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Body Mass Index
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BMI measures your
weight in relation to your height, and is closely
associated with measures of body fat. You can
calculate your BMI using this formula:
For example, for
someone who is 5 feet, 7 inches tall and weighs 220
pounds, the calculation would look like
this:
A BMI of 18.5 to
24.9 is considered healthy. A person with a BMI of
25 to 29.9 is considered overweight, and a person
with a BMI of 30 or more is considered
obese.
You can also find
your weight group on the chart below. The chart
applies to all adults. The higher weights in the
healthy range apply to people with more muscle and
bone, such as men. Even within the healthy range,
weight gain could increase your risk for health
problems.
Find
your weight on the bottom of the graph. Go straight
up from that point until you come to the line that
matches your height. Then look to find your weight
group. The higher your BMI is over 25, the greater
chance you may have of developing health
problems.
*
Without shoes **Without clothes
Because BMI does
not show the difference between fat and muscle, it
does not always accurately predict when weight
could lead to health problems. For example, someone
with a lot of muscle (such as a body builder) may
have a BMI in the unhealthy range, but still be
healthy and have little risk of developing diabetes
or having a heart attack.
BMI also may not accurately reflect
body fatness in people who are very short (under 5
feet) and in older people, who tend to lose muscle
mass as they age. And it may not be the best
predictor of weight-related health problems among
some racial and ethnic groups such as African
American and Hispanic/Latino American women. But
for most people, BMI is a reliable way to tell if
your weight is putting your health at risk.
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| Waist
circumference |
 Excess weight,
as measured by BMI, is not the only risk to your
health. So is the location of fat on your body.
If you carry fat mainly around your waist, you
are more likely to develop health problems than
if you carry fat mainly in your hips and thighs.
This is true even if your BMI falls within the
normal range. Women with a waist measurement of
more than 35 inches or men with a waist
measurement of more than 40 inches may have a
higher disease risk than people with smaller
waist measurements because of where their fat
lies.
To measure your waist
circumference, place a tape measure around your
bare abdomen just above your hip bone. Be sure
that the tape is snug, but does not compress your
skin, and is parallel to the floor. Relax,
exhale, and measure your waist.
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How does overweight or obesity affect my
health?
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Extra weight can put you at
higher risk for these health problems:
-
type 2 diabetes (high blood
sugar)
-
high blood
pressure
-
heart disease and
stroke
-
some types of
cancer
-
sleep apnea (when breathing
stops for short periods during
sleep)
-
osteoarthritis (wearing
away of the joints)
-
gallbladder
disease
-
liver disease
- irregular menstrual
periods
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What should I do if my BMI or waist
measurement is too high?
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If your BMI is between 25 and
30 and you are otherwise healthy, try to avoid
gaining more weight, and look into healthy ways
to lose weight and increase physical activity.
Talk to your health care provider about losing
weight if
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your BMI is 30 or above,
or
-
your BMI is between 25
and 30 and you
have:
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two or more of the
health problems listed above
or
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a family history of
heart disease or diabetes,
or
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your waist measures over
35 inches (women) or 40 inches (men)-even if
your BMI is less than 25-and
you have:
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Additional Reading
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Healthy Eating and Physical
Activity Across Your Lifespan: Better Health and
You. NIH Publication No. 02-4992. June
2002. Available from WIN.
Understanding Adult
Obesity. NIH Publication No. 01-3680.
October 2001. Available from WIN.
Active at Any Size. NIH
Publication No. 04-4352. Reprinted April 2004.
Available from WIN.
Weight-loss and Nutrition
Myths.NIH Publication
No. 04-4561. Reprinted March 2004. Available from
WIN.
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Weight-control
Information Network
1 WIN WAY
BETHESDA, MD 20892-3665
Phone: (202) 828-1025
FAX: (202) 828-1028
E-mail: win@info.niddk.nih.gov
Internet: http://www.win.niddk.nih.gov
Toll-free number: 1-877-946-4627
The Weight-control Information
Network (WIN) is a service of the National
Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney
Diseases of the National Institutes of Health,
which is the Federal Government's lead agency
responsible for biomedical research on nutrition
and obesity. Authorized by Congress (Public Law
103-43), WIN provides the general public, health
professionals, the media, and Congress with
up-to-date, science-based health information on
weight control, obesity, physical activity, and
related nutritional issues.
WIN answers inquiries, develops
and distributes publications, and works closely
with professional and patient organizations and
Government agencies to coordinate resources about
weight control and related issues.
Publications produced by WIN are reviewed by
both NIDDK scientists and outside experts. This
fact sheet was also reviewed by Robert Kushner,
M.D., Professor of Medicine, Northwestern
University and Medical Director, Wellness
Institute, Northwestern Memorial Hospital, and
Domenica Rubino, M.D., George Washington University
Weight Management Program.
This e-text is not copyrighted. WIN encourages
unlimited duplication and distribution of this fact
sheet.
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NIH Publication
No. 04-5283
Reprinted
June 2004
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