28.07.2023 – 09:00
Word & picture publishing group – health reports
Baierbrunn (ots)
Weight in kilograms divided by the square of your height in meters: The body mass index, or BMI for short, shows whether your weight is right. A result between 18.5 and 24.9 is considered normal weight for younger people. In short: The BMI is the measure of all things when it comes to weight issues. “Whether someone should take part in a weight loss program or be admitted to a clinic because of being underweight – everything depends on the BMI,” says Christina Holzapfel, professor of human nutrition at the Fulda University of Applied Sciences, in the health magazine “Apotheken Umschau”.
Looking for alternatives to BMI
However, the result of the NAKO health study shows that the BMI misclassifies many people in terms of their health risk. After all, it does not take into account gender, body fat percentage and fat distribution. The main danger is fatty tissue that accumulates between the organs. Experts therefore regularly try to establish alternatives to the BMI. Some prefer the “waist to height ratio” to him, the relationship between waist circumference and height. Expensive imaging methods such as magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) provide very precise data. This allows abdominal and organ fat to be precisely determined, but there are no clear criteria as to the values above which there is a health risk.
If you want to know whether your pounds are harmful to your health, Holzapfel recommends measuring your waist circumference. In men, it becomes critical from 94 centimeters, in women from 80. “If the BMI is also too high, you should lose weight,” advises Holzapfel.
This report is only free for publication if the source is cited. The health magazine “Apotheken Umschau” 7B/2023 is currently available in most pharmacies. There is much more interesting health news at and on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter and YouTube.
Press contact:
Julie von Wangenheim, Head of Corporate Communications
Katharina Neff-Neudert, PR Manager
Tel.: 089/744 33-360
E-Mail: [email protected]
www.wortundbildverlag.de
Original content from: Wort & Bild Verlagsgruppe – health reports, transmitted by news aktuell