BMI - Body Mass Index

Body Mass Index is the measurement of human body fat based on the height and weight of the person. BMI although useful in understanding the trends in your body’s fat measurement, it is by no means an accurate measurement as it varies for individuals of different body types and the level of activity undertaken by that individual.

Calculating BMI is fairly simple. BMI is an individual’s (mass or body weight) ÷ (height)²

Body Mass Index Calculator

BMI CALCULATOR

There are ranges for the BMI and vary based on the age and height of the person. The BMI ranges are between 16 and 40. The World Health Organization (WHO) regard a BMI of less than 18.5 as underweight and may indicate malnutrition, an eating disorder, or other health problems, while a BMI greater than 25 is considered overweight and above 30 is considered obese. These ranges of BMI values are valid only as statistical categories when applied to adults, and do not predict health.

The higher your BMI, the higher your risk for certain diseases such as heart disease, high blood pressure, type 2 diabetes, gallstones, breathing problems, and certain cancers.

For example: BMI, as per it's conventional calculation, may not prove to be accurate for athletes who are fit and active hence, carry more body muscle weight than fat. Also it may underestimate body fat in older person or in people who have lost some muscle weight.

BMI should only be used as a reference as there are other more accurate or preferred ways to measure the fat content of a body and how it can impact an individual's health and chances of attracting any disease.

An alternate measurement for measuring body fat is using Waist-to-Height Ration also known as (WHtR), not to be confused with Waist-to-hip ratio.A 2010 study that followed 11,000 subjects for up to eight years concluded that WHtR is a much better measure of the risk of heart attack, stroke or death than the more widely used body mass index.