Controversy about the Body Mass Index (BMI) as an indicator of healthy and unhealthy body fat levels continues to be debated by health care professionals.
The equation relating weight and height was developed during the 19th century by the Belgium, Adolphe Quetelet, as a relatively easy way to measure the level of obesity in the general population.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention cite Ouetelet's numbers that classify adult individuals as being underweight (below 18.5), normal (18.5 - 24.9), overweight (25.0 - 29.9) and obese (30.0 and above, with additional categories for the morbidly obese).
Ranges for children and teens also have been generated.
Online free calculations of ones BMI can be made at the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NHLBI) website.
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| National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute |
Five years after the National Public Radio interview with mathematician Dr. Keith Devlin during 2009 about why the BMI is a flawed risk indicator, his criticisms still resonate today with the publication of recent studies about different types of fat, fat metabolism and risk differences in genders, ethnic and age groups.
Dr. Devlin and other critics of the BMI classification numbers contend the equation to measure obesity in the general population is being inappropriately applied to individuals and is inaccurate as it does not distinguish mass attributed to muscle, bone and fat types.
They cite examples where body fat can be overestimated (individuals with muscular body types) and underestimated (loss of muscle with aging).
Various imaging technologies (including MRI, DEXA scans, a type of X-Ray) are available which claim to more accurately distinguish between these tissue types and address the BMI limitations.
The public continues to receive new research data warning of the dangers associated with abdominal (visceral) fat and how this fat differs from other types found throughout the body.
The NHLBL and other health agencies have acknowledged the limitations of the BMI and suggest waist circumference of men (40 inches) and women (35 inches) be used to identify risks of obesity (heart disease, type 2 diabetes).
This group cites many other conditions as risk factors (including smoking, cholesterol, high blood pressure) for diseases associated with the overweight and obese.
Keeping physically active and addressing nutrition choices have been encouraged by physicians.
The hatha yoga activities that i and others do daily provide empirical evidence that lean muscle can be realized when accompanied by changes in attitudes and eating behaviors.
# Yoga And BMI # Yoga And Obesity #Yoga With Bob Crowther
