According to the World Health Organization, the average body mass index of Russians is 26.2. Although this figure is only slightly above the norm, Rosstat reports that almost 40% of the population show symptoms of pre-obesity, and more than 21% suffer from full-fledged obesity.
At the same time, only a third of the population has a normal weight (body mass index in the range of 18.5 – 25).
Body mass index – what is it?
The body mass index is a measure of the ratio of a person’s body weight to their height. Despite the fact that the classical methods for calculating BMI do not take into account gender and age (as well as the very structure of excess weight or its distribution over the figure), they give a general understanding of the situation.
The main objectives of the body mass index are to facilitate the conversation between the nutritionist and the patient about the presence of obesity, as well as to provide an understanding of the general health of the population. High BMI is associated with an increased risk of diabetes, heart, and vascular disease.
However, it is important to emphasize that calculating BMI provides too general numbers and cannot determine the optimal weight of a specific individual. For example, both men and women with a height of 170 cm would be considered “normal” if their weight falls within the range of 53.5 – 72.3 kg.
Determination of the ideal weight
BMI and human height are the data necessary to calculate the ideal weight using the Peterson formula. Researchers introduced the formula in 2016, and it is recognized as complementary to the body mass index theory.
The calculation of the ideal weight is suitable for both men and women – however, a person’s height must exceed 1.53 m, and the BMI value should be in the range of 20 to 35. The accuracy of the data obtained is about 0.5 kg for a BMI of 20 and 1 kg for a BMI value 35:
BMI = 2.2 x BMI + 3.5 x BMI x (height – 1.5 m)
- IWT – ideal body weight (in kg)
- BMI – body mass index
- height – the height of a person (in meters)
BMI – tables and graphs
After calculating the body mass index, it is necessary to compare the resulting figure with tabular data. A low BMI value indicates a lack of body weight, and a high value indicates the possible presence of obesity. You can also use the chart shown in the figure above.
Body mass index:
| 16 and under | Pronounced deficiency |
| 16 – 18.5 | underweight |
| 18.5 – 24.99 | Norm |
| 25 – 30 | Overweight |
| 30 – 35 | Obesity |
| 35 – 40 | Severe obesity |
| 40 or more | severe obesity |
How to use the information?
The difficulty with body mass index is that, on its own, it only shows part of the picture. For example, muscular athletes (due to higher muscle mass) will have a high BMI – without suffering from obesity.
However, a body mass index above 30 is definitely a good reason to see a doctor for more detailed health advice. In this case, it will be useful to determine the level of sugar in the blood (for diagnosing diabetes) and measure the waist circumference (helps to identify metabolic syndrome).
Norms and recommendations
On the one hand, WHO warns that a high BMI may be associated with being overweight and related health complications. The most common recommendation is to maintain a weight within the “normal” body mass index.
On the other hand, this does not mean at all that being within the boundaries of the norm is a universal characteristic that suits absolutely everyone. In fact, the spread of “normal” weight is about 10-15 kg – not taking into account age, sex, and body mass structure.
That is, if your doctor talks about the need to reduce BMI, he only talks about the need to reduce the amount of excess fat. Using body mass index to determine an exact “ideal” weight is simply not possible.
Additional data
In addition to measuring waist circumference (which shows the presence of internal abdominal fat), modern nutritionists have several methods to determine the percentage of fat in the body – and ultimately, it is based on this indicator that they diagnose “obesity.”
In turn, the norms of the percentage of fat depend on the sex and age of the person – if the figures of the order of 25-30% for men mean the presence of obesity, then for women this is a characteristic of the average (“normal”) level of fat.
The body mass index calculation is the first step in diagnosing overweight and possible obesity. However, calculating your “ideal” or “normal” weight using BMI requires taking gender, age, and body fat percentage into account.