Researchers from University of California, Santa Barbara and UCLA report that millions of Americans labeled overweight or obese based on their body mass index (BMI) are, in fact, perfectly healthy. Their findings ("Misclassification of cardiometabolic health when using body mass index categories in NHANES 2005–2012"), which appear in the International Journal of Obesity, suggest that 34.4 million Americans considered overweight by virtue of BMI are actually healthy, as are 19.8 million who are considered obese.
Quote:
Using data from the most recent National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey, the scientists analyzed the link between BMI, which is calculated by dividing a person's weight in kilograms by the square of the person's height in meters, and several health markers, including blood pressure, blood sugar, and cholesterol. The results showed that more than 2 million people identified as "very obese" by virtue of having a BMI of 35 or higher are, in reality, healthy; that's about 15% of Americans so classified. The research also revealed that more than 30% of those with BMIs in the "normal" range, about 20.7 million people, are actually unhealthy based on their other markers.
I thought we already knew this? They taught me at school it's just a guideline (e.g. a male who's very muscular might come up as overweight because his muscles add loads of weight).
There will be people who are "normal weight" who are unhealthy too. It's just a guideline. We should all be aiming to be normal weight unless we're pregnant, a bodybuilder, or whatever else.
Also, those of you who are still teenagers or young adults and aren't fully grown, your BMI might say you're underweight (which is unhealthy), but that's common for people who are still growing. If you're underweight as an adult that's when you might need to think about putting on a bit more weight.
