According to World Health Organization, the Body Mass Index (BMI) is a general indication to calculate one’s obesity percentage,
Being an easy way to be calculated, it is a widely known diagnostic tool of the possible health issues of a person depending on his/her weight. Basically, we divide the weight with the square root of our height:
BMI = weight (height * height)
You can use the tool below to calculate your own BMI
B.M.I. | >18,5 | 18,5 - 25 | 25 - 29,9 | >30 |
---|---|---|---|---|
Condition | Underweight | Normal Condition | Overweight | Obese |
Possible Repercussion | May be followed by health issues | It is possible to include dangers for some people | Danger for a number of diseases |
However, that index does not have the same reliability when used on people who exercise or are generally more muscular. They have a higher BMI, because of their higher muscle mass rate, with the exception of having less fat. On the other hand, people who have lost muscle mass because of age or diseases will have a lower BMI and we cannot conclude that they have less fat.
Waist-hip Ratio shows the relevant allocation of fat in adults and the resulting diseases. The ratio is calculated as waist circumference (cm) / hip circumference (cm)
Sex | Very Good | Good | Average | Dangerous |
---|---|---|---|---|
Male | <0.85 | 0.85-0.89 | 0.90-0.95 | ≥ 0.95 |
Female | <0.75 | 0.75-0.79 | 0.80-0.86 | ≥ 0.86 |
Waist circumference constitutes the smallest perimeter of the abdomen (natural waist-same height as the belly button) and the hip circumference constitutes the largest perimeter in the buttocks area.
It is proven via researches that WHR is strongly connected with visceral (or abdominal) obesity, which drastically increases the possibility of chronic diseases such as cardiovascular diseases, type II diabetes and more.