You must have heard the term BMI (body mass index) index, which directly translates as body mass index. Simply put, it refers to the height and weight index, which is a number derived by dividing body weight by height squared.
Generally speaking, the ideal BMI should be between 18.5 and 24.9. Below 18.5 means that the weight is too light, higher than 24.9 weight is overweight. If the BMI reaches or exceeds 30, even if it is obese.
BMI is a simple way to measure whether a person has a healthy body weight. However, new research now shows that BMI normal, and looks very slim people may not be healthy.
Visceral fat
Visceral fat is usually found around the heart, liver and pancreas.
Too much visceral fat increases the risk of diabetes, heart disease and high blood pressure.
But how do you know you have too much visceral fat? It’s not as simple as BMI, which requires professional medical equipment.
However, there is a simple rope measurement method can be used as a reference. The method is as follows.
Use a soft rope from the heel to the top of the head, then fold the rope and then measure the waist circumference.
If the waist circumference is smaller than the folded rope, then it is normal. But if the waist circumference is too thick, the two ends of the rope can not close together, it means that the visceral fat is too high.
Researchers found that some people with normal BMI and a slim body shape may have too much visceral fat. On the contrary, some people with high BMI and slight body fat may also be very healthy.
The test also showed that two people with identical BMIs, such as two people with a BMI of 21, one had 6.9 liters of visceral fat, while the other had 0.7 liters, a huge difference.
Tommy Johansson, head of the Swedish health organization Amra, believes that BMI plays little role in measuring visceral fat.
He said, “These people look the same, but some may need to see a doctor, others are very healthy.”
Not for everyone
BMI measurement became popular in 1970, but today it may not work for everyone, such as some boxers and rugby players. They have a much higher percentage of muscle than fat.
Muscle is more dense than fat, and therefore heavier than fat. Their BMI may be over the limit. But in reality they may be very healthy.
Of course, they make up only a very small percentage of the population, about 1%.
As people age, the percentage of muscle decreases. Although they are still in the “healthy weight” range, they may have a lot of visceral fat, especially some smokers.
In addition, BMI does not apply to pregnant women. Some ethnic minority populations are at high risk despite having a lower BMI.
Location is most important
The location of fat distribution in the human body is of utmost importance, which is not measured by BMI.
Studies have shown that too much fat around the waist is a greater health risk, but if it is more fat in the thighs and hips is not a problem.
Doctors recommend that no matter how much your BMI index should be moderate weight loss to keep the waist slim.
Men should preferably not exceed 94 cm (37 inches), women do not exceed 80 cm (31.5 inches).
Therefore, it is best to look at BMI in combination with other readings, such as blood pressure, cholesterol and family history to determine a person’s risk of getting type 2 diabetes or heart disease.
However, if the BMI is far outside the healthy range, or if the waist circumference is too thick, it will certainly increase the risk of diseases, including stroke and certain cancers.
To maintain an ideal waistline and body weight, doctors recommend eating less and moving more.
The good news is that when people lose weight, the first thing they lose is visceral fat. And, as long as the weight loss of 5% can greatly reduce visceral fat.
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