Body Fat Health and Body Mass

Diseases associated with an excess of body fat worsen as the amount of body fat increases. However, when body fat returns to within acceptable ranges, the body can return to normal, healthy functioning and the risk for developing the diseases mentioned below decreases.

Too much body fat:
Increases the risk of many diseases, including type-2 diabetes, high blood pressure, stroke, heart disease, and certain cancers. When located around the abdomen, too much body fat increases the risk of developing the above conditions even further.

Body Mass Index (BMI)

The BMI is one way to determine whether or not an adult is overweight. BMI assesses height and weight; muscle mass is not a part of the equation.

BMI is calculated by multiplying weight (in pounds) by 705, then dividing by height (in inches) twice.

The chart below shows examples of body mass indexes. The figure at which your height corresponds with your weight is your body mass index.

What Is a Healthy BMI?

A person with a BMI of 18.5 to 24.9 is considered to be at a healthy weight. A person with a BMI of 25-29.9 is considered to be overweight. A BMI over 30 is considered obese. A BMI of 40 or above indicates that a person is morbidly obese. This can increases a person's risk of death from any cause by 50%-150%.

Body Mass Index (BMI)
Weight
(pounds)		 Height (feet, inches)
5'0" 5'3" 5'6" 5'9" 6'0" 6'3"
140 27 25 23 21 19 18
150 29 27 24 22 20 19
160 31 28 26 24 22 20
170 33 30 28 25 23 21
180 35 32 29 27 25 23
190 37 34 31 28 26 24
200 39 36 32 30 27 25
210 41 37 34 31 29 26
220 43 39 36 33 30 28
230 45 41 37 34 31 29
240 47 43 39 36 33 30
250 49 44 40 37 34 31