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Medical professionals have been using BMI as an indicator of health risk for a number of years now. It’s a fairly easy measurement to take and can be an early warning sign of a threat to your personal health and wellbeing. But recent research indicates that BMI may not be an accurate predictor of several important health threats, and so shouldn’t be used as the sole indicator of health or sickness.

 

What is BMI?

[caption id="attachment_1109" align="alignleft" width="300"] Why BMI May not be an Accurate Predictor of Health Risk[/caption]

BMI stands for Body Mass Index, and it attempts to calculate your body fat based on your weight in kilograms in relation to your height in centimeters. It is obviously not a direct measurement of the amount body fat you carry, instead it attempts to estimate it. There are tests you can perform to more accurately gauge body weight, but in general BMI gives fairly accurate results in most cases. There is a problem in some situations, for example body builders generally fail the test because of the weight of their muscles, but for the average person it works fairly well.

 

To work out your BMI, you need to divide your weight in kilograms by your height in meters squared (BMI = kg/m²). A healthy weight range using the BMI measurement is generally thought to be between 18.5 and 24.99.

 

The Connection Between BMI and Health Risk

Excess weight is an ever growing problem in modern society, which is probably why BMI has been a standard health assessment tool. People who have a BMI that’s outside of the healthy weight range generally have a higher risk of various illnesses and even an increased risk of early death. The following diseases and illnesses have been associated with a BMI result that’s outside of the healthy weight range:

 

• High blood pressure
• High levels of bad cholesterol
• Heart Disease
• Stroke
• Some types of cancer
• Diabetes
• Certain mental illnesses

 

Breast Cancer and BMI

For a long time, most sources have claimed that a high BMI is strongly connected to an increased risk of developing breast cancer after menopause. However, recent research indicates that this may be understating the risk. The study found that it was body fat, not weight, that increased this health risk. It measured the body fat in participants who were in the normal BMI range and found that people with a high level of body fat were twice as likely to develop estrogen receptor-positive breast cancer. This is a form of cancer that usually develops after menopause and refers to types of cancer cells that are encouraged to grow by estrogen exposure. The results also showed that the health risk increases by 35% for each 5 kilogram increase in body fat even while BMI remained within healthy limits.

 

Implications of the Study

Your doctor should no longer use BMI as the sole indicator of health risk for any disease or illness. Though it can still be a useful assessment tool, it should be only one part of your health assessment. This does present some problems, as it’s relatively easy to track your weight on a scale and harder to accurately measure body fat levels, but it may also be essential to accurately gauge your health risk. However, with this new information, your doctor should be able to more accurately assess your personal health status and design more effective strategies to prevent serious diseases.

 

How to Decrease your Health Risk

This new information indicates that you shouldn’t use BMI as the sole health tracking tool for certain cancers. Instead, it should be just one part of your health assessment routine, and needs to be assessed in the context of your holistic condition and wellbeing. The results also highlight the importance of maintaining a healthy lifestyle as you get older. It’s no longer enough just to be within a healthy weight range. You also need to take measures to keep your body fat with safe levels and prevent the loss of muscle that often comes with aging. To do this, you absolutely must stay active, get regular exercise and eat healthy, nutritious foods that won’t add to your fat stores.  And make sure that your doctor is aware of your personal health measures and provides assistance whenever possible.

 

 

If your BMI is high or you have any other signs of a serious health risk, try HomeLab to help you keep track of your condition and any preventative measures you take. And if you see signs of a significant problem, make sure you check with your doctor as soon as possible.

 

 

 

Tags: health risk, health assessment, personal health