![]() ![]() ![]() The researchers call this “normal-weight obesity,” which puts people at an increased risk for metabolic syndrome and a variety of cardiovascular issues. So while an older adult may clock a normal BMI, he or she could have a high body fat percentage. ( 5) BMI also can underestimate fatness among seniors because as people age, fat mass usually replaces fat-free mass (muscle). According to one study, BMI isn’t as useful in older adults because it doesn’t account for the fact that many people get shorter as they age, which can lead to underestimated fat levels. ![]() Athletes usually have less than nonathletes.īMI tends to be problematic among older people, Jaelin says.Older people generally have more body fat than younger people.Black people usually have less body fat than white people, and Asians typically have more than white people.According to the AARP, women should aim for 20 to 21 percent body fat, while men should have between 13 and 17 percent. Women usually have more body fat than men.( 3) Among adults, BMI is interpreted the same way for both men and women, says Michelle Jaelin, RD, a Hamilton, Ontario–based registered dietitian and blogger at .īut as the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) notes, there are a few differences among certain demographics when it comes to body fat. The BMI formula is universal - it’s the same for both adults and children (though the numbers are interpreted differently for young people because gender and age are factored in). There’s a downside to that simplicity, though: It sometimes delivers an oversimplified picture of your health (more on that later).Īccording to this measure, more than one-third of American adults is considered obese, notes the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Here’s what your number means:īMI has long been a popular tool for measuring body fat because it’s easy to use and doesn’t require any fancy equipment to calculate. ( 2) The resulting number can help you determine whether you’re at a healthy weight. ( 1)ĭon’t be intimidated by the number crunching - there are loads of online calculators that will generate your BMI when you put in your stats. It’s an estimate of how much body fat a person has, and it's calculated by dividing a person's weight in kilograms by his or her height in square meters. The BMI Table is a static tool to help you estimate your patients' body fat.BMI stands for body mass index, but you'll almost always find it referred to simply as BMI. The BMI calculator uses Standard or Metric measures and is available in English or Spanish. The BMI Calculator is an easy-to-use online tool to help you estimate your adult patients' body fat. For more information about BMI percentile and growth charts for children, visit the CDC's Child and Teen BMI and NHLBI's We Can! web pages. A child or teen who is between the 85th and 95th percentile on the growth chart is considered overweight. A child or teen who is at the 95th percentile or above is considered obese. The growth charts use a child's BMI, age, and gender to produce a BMI percentile. It may underestimate body fat in older persons and others who have lost muscle.īMI for children and teens, 2 to 20 years old, is determined by using a BMI table that compares their weight and height along with growth charts.It may overestimate body fat in athletes and others who have a muscular build.The higher the BMI, the higher the risk for heart disease, high blood pressure, type 2 diabetes, gallstones, osteoarthritis, sleep apnea, and certain cancers (e.g., colon, breast, endometrial, and gallbladder).Īlthough BMI can be used for most men and women, it does have some limits: People who are obese (BMI of 30 or above) almost always have a large amount of body fat in relation to their height. People who are overweight (BMI of 25–29.9) have too much body weight for their height. This ratio of weight to height is known as the body mass index (BMI). For adults, a healthy weight is defined as the appropriate body weight in relation to height. BMI is an estimate of body fat and a good measure of your patients' risk for diseases that can occur with overweight and obesity.
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