A Waist is a Good Thing to Mind

From: Don Kirkman (donkirk_at_covad.net)
Date: 09/13/04 

Date: Mon, 13 Sep 2004 10:52:17 -0700

Several times there have been threads in scm discussing measures of
obesity and heart risk. The Body Mass Index seems to be widely used. I
have noted that BMI does not account for body type. A September 12,
2004 article by Tedd Mitchell, MD, in USA Weekend discusses this issue
further.

<Copyright 2004, USA Weekend.>
"Many scientists use the body mass index (BMI) as a tool to predict
risks from being overweight. If you're a dieter, you may already know
your BMI: 18.5 to 24.9 is considered normal, 25 to 29.9 is overweight,
30 and up is obese. Clear-cut, right?

"Unfortunately, BMI doesn't factor in body type. Imagine two men, both
6-foot-2, 240 pounds. Both have a BMI that labels them obese. But one
is a lean, muscular athlete. The other is a pudgy office worker with a
high percentage of body fat. These guys have very different physiques
and health risks.

"A report in *The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition* [1] shows that
waist circumference may prove to be a better indicator than BMI of
cardivascular health risk. How do you measure up? A waist size of
40-plus inches for men or 35-plus inches for women indicates high health
risk. Under 35 inches for men and under 33 for women indicates good
health."

[1] American Journal of Clinical Nutrition 2002;76:743-749.

My commentary: Although this brief report cites rather exact figures
for healthy or risky waist measurements, IIUC the underlying article
cautions that waist size may be one of several indicators that need to
be considered together, including height and frame size; it is clearly a
step beyond using only BMI or total weight. 

-- 
Don
donkirk@covad.net

Relevant Pages

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  • Re: Are muscular men more at risk than scrawny men?
    ... > because BMI only takes into account total body weight and height, ... > even though he is not really at risk. ... As for yourself - at your height and weight, your Body Mass Index is ... low body fat, ...
    (sci.med.cardiology)
  • Re: A Waist is a Good Thing to Mind
    ... > have noted that BMI does not account for body type. ... > waist circumference may prove to be a better indicator than BMI of ... > cardivascular health risk. ...
    (sci.med.cardiology)
  • Re: Overweight = unhealthy
    ... that even small increases in body mass index (BMI) can increase risk for ... mortality. ...
    (talk.politics.medicine)