BMI 1

Description:
Body mass index (BMI) is an indirect measurement or indicator of body fat level or fatness. It is based on a person's weight and height. It calculated by taking weight and dividing it by squared height. Adult weight status has four categories depending on the calculated BMI value.

BMI	Weight Status
Less than 18.5	Underweight
18.5 to 24.9	Normal
25.0 to 29.9	Overweight
greater than 30	Obese

Studies predict that India will be the global diabetes capital by 2050 if the abdominal and lower limb obesity and metabolic syndrome are not arrested. Alarmed by reports, the Health Ministry has reduced the cut-off for body mass index (BMI) to 23 kg/m2 to fight the battle against obesity. If your BMI is over 23 kg/m2, then you are considered obese. The global standard for BMI is 25 kg/m2. So, someone considered not-obese by most international standards, might be obese in India!

According to guidelines, cut-offs for waist circumstances will now be 90 cm for Indian men (as opposed to 102 cm globally) and 80 cm for Indian women (as opposed to 88 cm at the international level).

This is the first time India has officially compiled its weight and flab statistics to step up the fight against obesity and its direct fallout—diabetes.

Researches over the last several years have shown that Indian bodies and genetics are different from their western counterparts. Indians suffer from abdominal obesity compared to people in the west whose bodies are uniformly obese.

Lifestyle diseases are diseases that appear to increase in frequency as countries become more industrialized and people live longer. Keep BMI < 23!

WHR 1

Waist to Hip Ratio

The Waist to Hip Ratio is a ratio, shown to be a good predictor of possible cardiovascular problems, such as heart attack, stroke, or other vascular disease, in both men and women. It has been shown that the waist to hip ratio is a better predictor than waist measurement alone, which is a better predictor than the body mass index. Follow the directions below to find your Waist to Hip Ratio.

How to measure the Waist to Hip Ratio

To calculate the Waist to Hip Ratio, the waist and hip measurements should be taken at their narrowest and widest points respectively as described below:

1. For men, measure the waist at the navel and hips at the tip of the hip bone.

2. For women, measure the waist midway between the bottom of the ribs and the top of the hip bone and hips at the widest point between the hips and buttocks.

3. Type these measurements into the calculator to calculate the Waist to Hip Ratio.

Waist to Hip Ratio - What Does it Mean?

Health is not only affected by how much body fat you have, but also by where the fat is situated on the body for example hips, waist etc. Most people store body fat in two distinct ways, around your middle (apple shape) or around your hips (pear shape). It is generally accepted that, carrying extra weight around your middle increases health risks associated with obesity, such as diabetes, coronary heart disease and high blood pressure. However overall obesity, is still a significant health risk. The recognition of central obesity is very important, as lifestyle intervention is likely to provide significant health benefits.

Waist to Hip Ratio Chart

Male	Female	Vascular Health Risk Based on WHR
less than 0.9	less than 0.80	Low Risk
0.9 to 0.99	0.8 to 0.89	Moderate Risk
1.0+	0.9+	High Risk

Reference: Welborn T.A. et al. Waist-hip ratio is the dominant risk factor predicting cardiovascular death in Australia. Medical Journal of Australia 1/15 December 2003;179:580-585

BMI 2

BMI 3

WHR 2