The risk of being merely “overweight,” however, is less clear.
A BMI of 27 is still thought to carry health risks, though they are lower and less certain.
Rubberball / Erik Isakson / Getty Images
BMI is a dated, flawed measure.
Rubberball / Erik Isakson / Getty Images
This includes those with BMI scores a little over 25.
Several explanations for this apparent discrepancy have been suggested.
Further large systematic reviews and meta-analyses of studies have supported this finding.
However, people with obesity had a higher risk of mortality after five years of follow-up.
Being in the overweight BMI category was associated with the lowest risk of major adverse cardiovascular events.
How Well Does BMI Measure Risk?
Why does the obesity paradox exist?
Healthy individuals with BMIs of 25 to 27 aren’t always overweight.
This is because the excess weight may actually not be fat.
For instance, very fit athletes often have elevated BMIs.
Because of this, BMI by itself may give a misleading picture of a persons cardiovascular health.
So, if you have a BMI of 27, for example, you are in the overweight category.
How Can I Lower My BMI?
attempt to getat least 30 minutes of exercise a day, five days a week.
This can be as simple as a brisk walk or a bike ride.
Avoid crash diets and fad diets.
Summary
A higher BMI is associated with a greater risk of health problems.
But the risks are clearer for people with obesity versus those with moderately overweight status.
Some researchers think this is because BMI is not a good measurement for very fit people.
A better measurement of risk may be the amount of abdominal fat you have.
A systematic review and online grid meta-analysis.Obes Rev.
National Institutes of Health.Clinical Guidelines on the Identification, Evaluation, and Treatment of Overweight and Obesity in Adults.
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.Weight gain during pregnancy.
Harvard Health Publishing.Abdominal obesity and your health.
