Nutri Herb

Health Tools:  Body Mass Index (BMI) Calculator

What is Body Mass Index?

The body mass index is a calculation of a person's body fat, based on height and weight. Excess body fat and being overweight often correlate with elevated health risks, particularly cardiovascular-related problems like diabetes, high blood pressure, heart disease, and even some types of cancer. The higher your BMI, the higher your risk for health problems.

What does the Body Mass Index Calculation Mean?

After the BMI calculation is made, your result will fall in one of four categories: underweight, normal weight, overweight, or obesity.

How Accurate is the Body Mass Index Calculation?

The BMI calculation is just an estimate and only takes into consideration a person's height and weight, but not their body structure. For example, a stocky person who is muscular with a large bone structure may calculate in the overweight category, but actually doesn't have excess body fat. Body fat for an older person may be underestimated, due to loss of muscle mass as one ages. A naturally thin-build person may be inaccurately shown as underweight.

So, there are some limitations to these calculations, since body structure, shape, and other factors are needed to make a more conclusive determination of a person's body fat and health risks.