Posts Tagged ‘bmi’

The reason for the title BMI BMI is because it is a subject that calls for a double take. You hear this term all the time, but what does it mean?

What is BMI?

The body mass index (BMI) is an amazing tool. It is one of the easiest weight assessment tools. This is the good news, it is essentially the fastest way to find out where you fall in the weight scheme of things. It was invented in the 1840’s and has been used ever since. Body mass index is a number calculated from a person’s height and weight.

BMI is a starting point in determining if an individual is too thin or too heavy. It will not tell one if they are made up of more fat than muscle. However, it is a great starting point. Once you know your BMI you will have an idea of what your weight is and what it should be.

Body Mass Index

Is the body mass index (BMI) a powerful indicator of health? The answer is yes. Of course it’s not a guarantee of perfect health; it is a means to better health. It is a test that tells you if you have a serious weight issue. It does not tell you your overall body composition, how much of your weight is lean body mass and how much is body fat.

This point is brought up by detractors of this method to determine optimal weight. It has some merit, but the healthiest thing you can do to ensure physical health is keep your weight in check. The real point here is how you choose to manage your weight, if it is just about starvation diets than the body compositions will be unhealthy. Cutting out whole groups of foods and subsisting on coffee and toast is not how you deal with a weight problem.

BMI Calculator

A healthy weight is of the utmost importance throughout life. Obesity reduces life quality and expectancy. Regardless of all other tests your BMI is a strong indicator of overall health. Aiming for a healthy BMI can turn the page and help launch a simmer you. 

There is a good BMI calculator on the website: www.metabolicway.com that is more fun than the usual ones. For women it provides a way to see what their weight looks like. Let me know what you think.  

BMI top concern: coping with an uncertain future. It is now realized that a BMI is connected to future health events. Body mass index (BMI) is a measure of body fat based on height and weight. This isn’t the only measure of a healthy weight, but it is potentially a fast and easy way to tell.

Higher BMI in the teenage years is linked to earlier occurrence of diabetes and heart disease as a young adult. This is according to a study that followed 37, 000 Israeli army personnel for 17 years. The long reach of weight in the teen years seems to influence and result in the gradually increasing atherosclerosis. This narrows the arteries with plaque build-up.

The surprising thing about this study was that the results were derived from BMI scores that were still well in the normal range. What is uncertain is the way we focus on losing weight as a way to manage future health problems. This isn’t an open and shut case to turn around any future health consequences. This study suggests that becoming a lean adult will not eliminate all risks for developing diseases. While it practically eliminates the risk of developing diabetes it still leaves one with a higher risk of developing heart disease. This means that an overweight teen will have some risk even upon becoming a lean adult.

Not a Surprising Risk

This shouldn’t be surprising since a baby has an increased risk of obesity and diseases just by what the mother eats while pregnant. This now extents to the time before conception, and includes what the father’s diet is like. 

Prevention begins way before the teen years. The bigger we get the more we will act in haste to avert disaster. We need to manage risks before we have to make tough decisions. We have to change the way we think. Reflecting on the broader implications of weight management means to nourish and nurture by means of diet.

There is a direct connection to scaling back on packaged food and reverting to whole foods. We are facing key challenges while food manufacturers flex their marketing muscle. Their products boast self space, functionality and ingenuity. What they aren’t a fresh-cut above nature. For the food industry the interest is primarily in packaging and your wallet. It seems the packaging is disposable and so is the public.

There isn’t a real second chance given by loosing the extra weight. The seeds of change start with clarifying the challenge, which may not be loosing the weight as much as not putting it on in the first place.

Prevention

An international study, led by the university of Southampton researchers has shown that a mother’s diet during pregnancy can alter the function of the child’s DNA. The study shows that this process called epigenetic change, can lead to the child tending to lay down more fat.

It is recognized fact prevention is easier than recovery. In almost all chronic conditions is recognized that prevention is the key. Well in obesity the same is true. The driving force behind optimal weight should be to in place before it’s needed.

Being called fatty is not the problem. It isn’t even being charged for two airline seats, or being asked to get off the flight. It is that by being a fatty, you’re on fire literally and figuratively.

Those extra pounds cause inflammation, which is akin to a fire within. The consequence of this is chronic health conditions, and accelerated aging. Your shape is the precursor of things to come.

Appearance

The outward appearance is the least of the problem. What is of concern is the increased risk of diabetes, high blood pressure, high cholesterol, and cancer risk. Your weight is a precise and accurate measurement of your loss in function, not gain.

There is a debate going on that says you can be overweight and healthy. That is true, but you can’t rely on this fact to be consistent. The reason is that most people who are overweight rely on inflammatory foods for nutrition.

Health

Health is not related in a positive way to obesity. It is a sub-group that has outstanding health and is grossly overweight. In a study published in the May 2009 “Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology” it suggested an increased occurrence of food allergies may be liked to the rising rate of childhood obesity. It is known that obesity is associated with a greater development of atopic diseases such as eczema and psoriasis. Also a 59 percent increase in food sensitization was noted. “The analysis of continuous Body Mass Index (BMI) with total igE levels supports the concept that increased weight is associated with increased allergic predisposition.” IgE is a class of antibodies produced in the lungs, skin, and mucous membranes and responsible for allergic reactions.

Medical research suggests that obesity (BMI), allergy (igE) and inflammation (C – reactive protein) are related. Inflammation is the foundation for the development of allergies, and degenerative diseases.

Fat Cells

Fat cells produce inflammatory hormones. The question scientists ask is whether inflammation precedes obesity or obesity leads to inflammation and allergy. This is like asking which came first the chicken or egg. Of course inflammation is a cause of obesity, and obesity sets you up for more inflammation. An anti-inflammatory diet and lifestyle is the answer to both possible scenarios.

Data from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey for 2005-2006, were analyzed and the key findings were:

• Allergies are more prevalent among obese and overweight children.
• Obesity is associated with chronic inflammation.
• Allergy is also associated with inflammation.

Aging

There are a lot of people who are aging and manage to remain healthy. These people can gain weight with less repercussions. It is even thought to be protective to put on a few pounds.

The aging population is the first generation of pill poppers, which say that they have serious afflictions. So their extra weight is not necessarily good if it is coming from nutrient deficient foods. Seniors are also suffering from inflammatory conditions, which are being treated with pharmaceuticals.

Conclusion

Being overweight is less about appearance and more about substance. The effect of the extra fat is where the problem resides. Obesity is associated with chronic, low-level inflammation in fatty tissue. Double jeopardy is when you see it and then do nothing about it. Seeing the weight as a cosmetic issue doesn’t make sense, when everything points to a lifetime of nagging health problems. That is the real shape of things to come.

When a house is on fire you get out, when your body is on fire you stay and put it out.