BMI can also be used to assess your risk for certain health conditions, likeheart disease.
Itsflaws and limitationsas a health metric are well-documented.
The article shows you how to calculate BMI and what it says about your health.
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It also describes the pros and cons of BMI scores and what they mean and don’t mean.
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BMI is a dated, flawed measure.
It does not take into account factors such asbody composition, ethnicity, sex, race, and age.
Verywell
Online BMI calculatorsare also available online and as smartphone apps.
There is also a reference chart for children 2 years and over.
The optimum range for a healthy BMI is between 18.5 and 24.9.
Verywell
Anything above and below these values is technically considered underweight and overweight, respectively.
Pros and Cons of BMI
BMI is a simple way to estimate body fat.
Its convenient, inexpensive, and can be performed anywhere.
However, it also has significant limitations.
Who Shouldn’t Use BMI?
BMI should not be used in children under 2 years of age.
What Are the Alternatives to BMI?
Some have called for “retiring” BMI because of these limitations.
While its disadvantages are widely accepted, BMI remains in use partly because of its simplicity and convenience.
The BMI score may also be used to estimate your risk of certain diseases, like heart disease.
BMI has a number of limitations.
It does not take into account your age, race, sex, fitness level, or muscle mass.
As such, the same BMI can mean very different things in different people.
Multiple factors need to be considered when determining what a “healthy” body weight is.
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National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute.BMI tools.
Chan School of Public Health.Body fat.
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