Body Mass Index… popularly known as BMI is a household phenomenon. We’ve always heard that people with higher levels of BMI are prone to all sorts of diseases related to obesity. The BMI formula which indicates the proportion of our weight to our height has a history of over 150 years.

The BMI thought was developed by Belgium Statistician Adolphe Quetelet. Since its invention BMI has always been revered as though it was a formulae right from the scriptures. People were categorized as underweight, normal weight and overweight basing on their BMI ratios. People below the score of 18.5 were considered underweight, those between the ranges of 18.5-25 were considered to be of ideal weight and those with the ratio between 25-30 were treated as overweight. People with above the score of 30 were thought to be obese.

Apart from the hospitals… the insurance companies and government have been obsessed with this BMI while drafting their policies. Now! Some latest researches were throwing some different light on the validity of the BMI. Let’s check out.

The researchers from the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) have verified the data of 40,420 people and got astounding results regarding BMI. Researchers have found that nearly half of overweight people and almost 30 percent of obese people as per BMI ranges… seemed to be healthy. On the other side, more than 30 percent of those with normal BMIs were found to be suffering with irregularities in blood pressure, sugar levels and cholesterol.

Further, the researchers claim that people who actively exercise (ex: athletes) tend to gather much weight due to their muscle strength. Such people might reveal higher BMI scores, though they are perfectly healthy! So, here is the final word from the researchers of ULCA…

BMI might seem to be simple and quick way to check our risk of obesity. But that can’t be treated as an acid test to find whether we are prone to health risks or not! Our style of living, exercising routine, food habits, genes, fat accumulation… are all the factors that can’t be ignored. So let’s forget the BMI and stay focused on healthy habits!

Note: The formulae for checking BMI is… weight in kilograms/height in metres2

..Nirjara.