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BMI is the acronym for Body Mass Index, which is a calculation used to assess whether a person is within his ideal weight in relation to height. Thus, according to the value of the BMI result, the person can know if he is within the ideal weight, above or below the desired weight.
Being within the right weight is important because being over or under that weight can greatly influence health, increasing the risk of diseases such as malnutrition when you are underweight, and stroke or heart attack, when you are overweight. Thus, it is common for doctors, nurses and nutritionists to assess the person's BMI in routine consultations to check for the possibility of diseases that the person may be pre-disposed to.
How to calculate BMI
The BMI calculation must be done using the following mathematical formula: Weight ÷ (height x height). But you can also find out if you are within the ideal weight using our online calculator, just by entering your data:
This formula is ideal for calculating the weight of healthy adults. In addition, the waist-to-hip ratio calculation can also be used to assess the risk of having cardiovascular diseases, such as diabetes and heart attack. See how to calculate here.
BMI Results Table
Each BMI result must be evaluated by a health professional. However, the following table indicates the possible BMI results, according to the World Health Organization, with a BMI between 18.5 and 24.9 representing the ideal weight and the lowest risk of some diseases.
Classification | BMI | What can happen |
Very underweight | 16 to 16.9 kg / m2 | Hair loss, infertility, menstrual absence |
Under weight | 17 to 18.4 kg / m2 | Fatigue, stress, anxiety |
Normal weight | 18.5 to 24.9 kg / m2 | Lower risk of heart and vascular disease |
Overweight | 25 to 29.9 kg / m2 | Fatigue, poor circulation, varicose veins |
Obesity Grade I | 30 to 34.9 kg / m2 | Diabetes, angina, heart attack, atherosclerosis |
Grade II obesity | 35 to 40 kg / m2 | Sleep apnea, shortness of breath |
Grade III obesity | greater than 40 kg / m2 | Reflux, difficulty in moving, bedsores, diabetes, heart attack, stroke |
Whoever is not within the ideal weight should adapt their diet and exercise to achieve the most suitable weight for their height and age.
When you are under ideal weight, you should increase your consumption of nutrient-rich foods so that your body has what it takes to protect itself from disease. Those who are overweight should consume fewer calories and do some physical activity to eliminate fat stores, which increases the risk of heart disease.
How to improve BMI results
When the BMI result is not ideal, there are some precautions, especially with food, that can help achieve the ideal value:
1. What to do to lower the BMI
If the BMI result is above ideal and the person is not very muscular, nor an athlete, it may indicate that it is necessary to lose weight, eliminating the accumulation of fat, which contributes to high weight. For that, one should eat only foods rich in vitamins and minerals, taking care to reduce the consumption of industrialized foods and rich in fat, such as puff pastry, cakes, filled cookies and snacks, for example.
For results to be achieved even faster, it is advisable to exercise to increase caloric expenditure and increase metabolism. Using teas and natural supplements can be a stimulus to help you lose weight faster and healthier, without having to go hungry. Some examples are hibiscus tea or ginger tea with cinnamon, but a nutritionist may recommend others that are more suited to the needs of each person.
See more about dietary reeducation to lose weight in a healthy way.
2. What to do to increase BMI
If the BMI result is less than ideal, what should be done is to increase the intake of foods rich in vitamins and minerals of good quality, but without making the mistake of eating processed foods and rich in trans fat. Pizzas, fried foods, hot dogs and hamburgers are not the best foods for those who need to increase their weight in a healthy way, because this type of fat can accumulate inside the arteries, increasing the risk of heart disease.
Check out 6 tips to gain weight and gain muscle mass in a healthy way.
When not to calculate BMI
Although BMI is widely used to check whether the individual is overweight or not, this method has some flaws and, therefore, it is recommended that in addition to it, use other means of diagnosis to check whether the individual is really above or below ideal weight, such as measuring the fat crease, for example.
Thus, BMI is not the ideal parameter to assess the ideal weight in:
- Athletes and very muscular people: because it does not take into account the weight of the muscles. In this case, neck measurement is a better option.
- Elderly: because it does not take into account the natural reduction of muscles at these ages;
- During pregnancy: because it does not take the baby's growth into account.
In addition, it is contraindicated in cases of malnutrition, ascites, edema and in bedridden patients.
A nutritionist will be able to personally do all the necessary calculations to assess your weight and how much you need to put on or lose weight, taking into account your general health.
Why it is important to be within the ideal weight
It is important to be within the ideal weight because the right weight is closely linked to the person's state of health.
Having a small accumulation of fat in the body is important so that there are energy reserves so that when the person gets sick, they have time to recover. However, excess fat accumulates in the liver, waist and also within the arteries, making it difficult for blood to pass, and this increases the risk of heart disease.
Therefore, being within the ideal weight is important to increase health, prevent cardiovascular diseases and increase quality of life. Thus, those who are underweight must increase muscle volume to increase weight in a healthy way and those who are overweight must burn fat to gain health.
Find out if your child is at the ideal weight and how to get him to this weight by clicking here.